


And, action!

by staysharp



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Anyways, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I AM IN TEARS, M/M, Mutual Pining, OR IS IT, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, allura is going to be an actress, also keith has a boyfriend who may or may not be a piece of shit, because I hate myself, because reasons, but please know that this is going to be a, but this is fucking gold, coran is allura's manager, fake dating trope, hunk flies the helicopter, i cried writing the bean part, it's basically a mash up of a bunch of different tropes, keith is a college student out for the summer, lance is an actor, or so i have discovered, pidge usurped hunk's position as manager, pining to the eXTREME, shiro is going to be another actor, so enjoy, so this is really stupid, sure its 4 thousand words now but i'm honestly so pumped for this, this is like, this is that sappy love confession to the wrong number but with a huge twist, this was originally titled, update: i have decided keith has a job as a bartender, why did i do this, you were supposed to write poetry you fucker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 106,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staysharp/pseuds/staysharp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Listen, where do you go to college?” </p><p>“Why does a movie star want to know?” </p><p>“So I can take you out for coffee as an apology.”</p><p>(or alternatively, Keith receives a call not meant for him but he manages to get involved in the caller's life in ways he never would have imagined)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. it started with 2:37 a.m.

**Author's Note:**

> this is gonna be a ride, folks

Different times of day change things for everyone.

 

It was pitch black when Keith’s eyes opened.

Well, everything was pitch black except for the violently vibrating phone on his nightstand. He blinked rapidly before picking up the bright screen, noting that it was 2:37 a.m. He groaned, not completely conscious from his sudden departure from sleep, and he tapped his thumb a couple times before he accepted the call. He grumbled and wasn’t sure if he was going to say anything but he realized, later, that he couldn’t have.

“Look, I’m sorry that I’m calling so early but I just can’t stop thinking about you.”

Keith was awake after that, sitting up, the navy bleeding blue through his window. It was a male voice, soft and ever growing in its emotional state. “I know we haven’t known each other long but when I look at you, my heart just beats so much faster. It’s like you have that cheesy movie effect that makes you glow when you smile and it makes me so weak in the knees.” There’s a small laugh and Keith can’t bring himself to say anything. “Your eyes are beautiful and your hair? Just wow. And your smile? These are the things I love about you and I know, maybe, you don’t feel the same, but I just had to let it off my chest so that these countless nights spent pining after you don’t weigh me down any longer.” A pause and then, “Estoy enamorado de ti.” And then after, “I’m in love with you.”

It’s a fragile and vulnerable expression of emotions in the dead of night Keith knew he was not meant to hear. But the sound of it was sweet, tempting and he licked his lower lip, trying to regain moisture to a mouth that had gone dry. “So, I’m sorry I couldn’t say it to your face but night is just some strange place that gets me to say what I keep bottled up inside.” Keith gripped his phone a little tighter and he brought his knees to his chest, wondering what to say. “And I feel better, too, now, and I’m so glad mi sol y estrellas listened to me tonight.” Keith swallowed. “You mean a lot to me.” It was difficult to hear these things from a stranger when Keith’s own boyfriend wouldn’t even admit to saying he loved him after two years. It was difficult but it also gave him something to cherish in a strange, pretty kind of way.

The line went quiet for a few seconds and then Keith realized, but the stranger beat him to the punch. “You don’t have to tell me right away how you feel because I will wait unless, of course, you tell me you don’t feel the same.” Keith felt like crying and every ounce of anger that afflicted him at first was gone now. “I respect however you feel but I just needed to say it after all this time. So, you know, I’ll be waiting-”

“I’m sorry,” Keith whispered and it was over.

“Dylan, it’s okay-”

“No, not it’s not okay. I’m not Dylan. I’m not. Although, after hearing all that, I wish I was.”

A sharp breath was sucked in on the other end of the line. “Fuck.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve interrupted you but, well, you made it impossible.” Keith adjusted his grip on the phone and added, “That was quite the early morning confession, though.”

“I was actually reading from a script, to be honest.” A laugh came from the other end of the line and Keith raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t have the words in my hands, well, I would’ve been too nervous to say anything. But I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“It was nice, I’ll admit.” Keith smiled as he turned on the light.

“Okay, actually, going to be totally honest with you, um, what’s your name?”

“Keith.”

“Okay, Keith, what I actually read was a literal script. I was supposed to be doing a call-in audition but my manager dialed the wrong number.” Keith was taken aback, wondering what actor he was even speaking with.

“Who is this?” He waited, running over the list of possible male actors in his head.

“Well, believe it or not, you’re talking to the actual Lance McClain.”

“Who?”

“Pidge is so dead.”

“Who’s Pidge? And I’m sorry if I don’t know you. I don’t really keep up with modern culture and movies and the like.” The surreal effect of sitting up in bed in a yellow space while the sky was dark outside made it all the more strange and even just the touch bit thrilling.

“Oh, okay, well, Pidge is my manager and I’m a new star to the scene. My first movie was an action/comedy. It was pretty good if I do say so myself. And that script I read? Pidge thought it’d be good for me to do romance and broaden my role playing range.”

“I see. That’s interesting. Quick question, though, what timezone do you live in?”

“Hell if I know. I’m in Los Angeles right now.”

“Yeah, well, I’m studying abroad in Korea right now and it’s almost three in the morning.” Keith smiled through his words. There was a significant pause and he wondered how in the hell this Pidge had dialed the wrong number. They were in two different countries.

“I’m so sorry about that. Listen, where do you go to college?”

“Why does a movie star want to know?”

“So I can take you out for coffee as an apology.” Oh. Keith brushed his hair behind his ear.

“Right, I go to Berkeley.”

“Wow, an elite. Wait hold on,” there’s muffled noise in the background and then he’s back on the line, “so, look, I have things to do, people to impress so when you get back-wait, when are you getting back?”

“Actually, in a couple weeks.”

“Nice. Well, anyways, I’m going to give you my number and just call me and I’ll come pick you up. Have a pen?” And Lance recited his number and Keith wrote it down. “Well, see you in a couple weeks.”

“See you,” and Keith ended the call with a strange sense of fulfillment that pushed him to actually want to go back home for the summer. He worked and learned, taking everything in, and reveling in it during the night wait to grab his plane back home, people all waiting for something different and something to change. 

And for Keith, the change began at 2:37 a.m.

While the plane started to ascend, Keith fell asleep, and he didn’t wake up until the plane landed, the daylight throwing him off as he woke up, wiping drool from his mouth, to discover he was one of the few people left who hadn’t exited the plane. He unbuckled, grabbed his luggage, and ducked out, making his way back into the San Francisco airport. It was busy, busy and people had places to go and homes to return to and Keith made his way past them all, until he was outside and nice weather greeted him.

He reveled in it as he made his way deep into the parking lot a few blocks away to find his green truck still there. Keith smiled and he fished out his keys. He reveled in the cool breeze as he drove with his window down, back home, to Berkeley. 

Everything about coming home made Keith warm inside and he couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend and well, he was also a little bit excited about the free coffee as well. Driving familiar roads home after a year made him happy and it carried with him through his apartment door.

The room was the same mess it had been when he’d left. Mugs were still on the glass coffee table and art books were open, sticky notes stuck in glossy pages to signify art that Keith had liked the most. Succulents sat on the windowsill and the crack in the ceiling was still there. It was like he’d never left and his body appreciated it. As he sat down on his couch, he pulled out his phone, and he texted Ryan that he was home, setting the phone down, only to have it buzz before Keith could indulge in a breath.

 

**I’m glad you’re home, babe. Listen, I’m sorry but I can’t see you for a few days. Work things. But I’ll let you know when I get back!**

 

Keith sighed. It was lonely not having really any family around and he didn’t feel like letting himself drown in self-pity the first day home. So he got up and got his wallet from his backpack, opening it to find the slip of paper with a phone number on it. He called it and after two rings, someone answered.

“Hello?”

“It’s Keith.”

“Oh, hey, you’re back! I’m actually free today so do you want me to come pick you up?” 

“Sure,” and a smile found its way onto his face. “Do you need my address?”

“Kind of Keith, or else this isn't really going to work.”

And he thought about how the tone was just the slightest bit sassy while he recited his information and Lance declared, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Wait, what-” And the call was ended. Keith sat back down on the couch, holding his hand between his palms and then thought about changing or maybe not or maybe or maybe not- The phone buzzed and he looked at his screen.

 

**I’m outside, downstairs.**

 

Keith shut his eyes and took in a deep breath before he pocketed his phone and grabbed his wallet, closing the door behind him and he made his way down the stairs. When he left the building, however, he almost had a heart attack seeing the helicopter parked in the middle of the goddamn street. The door slid open and out stepped the Lance Mcclain who’d called him two weeks ago.

First off, he was tall. Secondly, he was perhaps the most beautiful man Keith had ever seen. His skin was a darker shade and his dark brown hair was pushed back by the sunglasses sitting atop his head. As he walked over, his green army jacket moved with him and he was smiling a very dazzling smile and all Keith could do was stand there, frozen. “Hi, the name’s Lance McClain,” and stuck out his hand to Keith once he stopped in front of him.

“Keith Kogane,” and he reached out to shake Lance’s hand when all of a sudden, Lance yanked his hand back and smoothed the side of his hair. Keith’s face became one of confusion and he raised an eyebrow.

“Too slow, my dude.”

“What?”

“But I get it. You were probably just dazzled by my good looks.”

“Hold on just a-” Lance leaned a little closer and Keith jumped back, raising his fists in defense.

“You’re just scared to admit that I’m gorgeous.”

“Who would want to admit that?” Questioned Keith and his voice betrayed him by cracking. 

“You apparently,” Lance smiled and moved his sunglasses so that they covered his eyes. “Anyways, let’s go. I know a great coffee spot.” And he turned around, getting about five feet before he turned around with his ridiculous designer shades that hid his face. “Come on, let’s go.”

Keith blinked and remembered that this was real. He took a step and then the rest followed.

It was all very strange, sitting in a helicopter as it rose up and seeing his apartment building become small and then a shape amongst many others lined with trees. It was much cooler up in the sky and Keith was glad he’d brought his red jacket. “So, is this your first time riding in a private helicopter?” came from his right and turned his head to see the shades still on.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not every day I get called by an actor,” Keith offered very straightforwardly, not playing into the smug grin on Lance’s face. “Also, why are you wearing your sunglasses right now?”

“Because if I didn’t, you would be blinded by my full on beauty like others and then it would be hard talking to you.”

“Please tell me you’re not wearing those inside the coffee place.”

“Someone likes my beautiful face.”

“I hope you understand I’m ready to smack you right now.”

“As am I,” came from the front right seat and Keith started. In it was person wearing glasses, with a very interesting short and choppy haircut the color of peanut butter. It was a bit of a nice shade. “The name’s Pidge and I’m this idiot’s manager.” They jerked a thumb towards Lance who took off his shades, looking horrified.

“I cannot believe you usurped Hunk as my manager.”

“Oh please, someone had to keep you in line. Hunk was too nice.”

“I’m literally right here, guys,” came from the pilot’s seat and Keith observed silently. 

“Being nice isn’t bad, Hunk, it’s just that Lance needed a power check and I am more suitable for the job.”

“Pidge.”

“It’s true.” Pidge sat looking unapologetic before glaring at Lance and smiling at Keith. “I’m glad you are here to bear witness to this piece of shit.” Pidge adjusted their glasses. “In fact, why’d you even agree to meeting this guy?”

“To be honest, I’m just here for the free coffee.”

“Keith, buddy, don’t lie. You’re here because you totally fell for that confession.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“ _I’m not Dylan. I’m not. Although, after hearing all that, I wish I was._ ” Lance mimicked. “Sound familiar?” Keith felt shivers run down his spine after hearing his exact words replayed from two weeks ago.

“How the hell did you remember all that?” Lance grinned.

“I’m an actor. Gotta memorize a whole lot. And it’s nice, especially, when I get people to admit they fell for what I said.”

“Pidge, I was tricked. He is, indeed, a piece of shit.”

“Welcome to my life.” Lance scoffed and then, all of a sudden, leaned over Keith to look out the window. He actually, despite the jacket and lanky appearance, had a broad chest and Keith hated himself for noticing as he caught of whiff of something that smelled of citrus and his heart almost stopped beating. But then Lance opened his mouth.

“Hunk, to the left, to the left.”

“Everything you own in the box-”

“No, Hunk, as much I appreciate the singing, I need to you to go left and then land, por favor.”

“Sure thing, man.” Keith waited for Lance to move, but he just kept looking at the ground below like an excited child. Keith saw Pidge cover their face with their hands, muttering something, and he couldn’t help but smile in a small fashion. But he honestly was about to die having the most beautiful man with the biggest ego he’d ever witnessed leaning over him. His heart was a little weak and Keith, without thinking, placed his hands on Lance’s chest, pushing him back. Lance came up slow and steady and the citrus lingered on Keith’s lips. It was all very strange.

And then Lance placed his hands over Keith’s, which almost was perfect but Lance opened his mouth. “Couldn’t keep your hands off the goods, huh?” He smiled slyly and Keith yanked away his hands so fast that in some crazy way, he actually did smack Lance Mcclain in the chin.

“I’m so sorry, really-”

A slow clapping came from Pidge up front and Lance rubbed his chin and he turned to face his manager, spewing a few choice words as the helicopter began its descent. Keith held one hand in the other, afraid, and just the tiniest bit pleased with himself as his heart slowed to a normal pace in his chest. 

Something about the ground below was unfamiliar and Keith bit his tongue as the helicopter finally landed...in a parking lot. Keith groaned as he unbuckled and made his way out, to find himself in completely different weather from the one he’d came back to. “Where are we?” He asked as Lance joined him on his side.

“We’re in Seattle. Why?” And Lance put his shades back on top of his head.

“What the fuck do you mean we’re in Seattle?”

“We are, Keith, and I swear, this place serves some of the best coffee.” Keith pondered just exactly how much time had passed in that gaudy helicopter and just how the hell did helicopter trips compared to plane trips and how did they get there so fast. It occupied his mind as he followed Lance and then, all of a sudden, the shocking gray of the sky was blocked out by dark paneled glass.

It was dim inside and there were only three other people in there, each doing their own thing. The faint clatter of fingers hitting the keyboard came from the right and Keith found himself asking, “If this coffee’s so good, then why are there only three people here?”

But Lance was already at the counter and a starstruck cashier waited as Lance waved his hand to Keith to come over. “I’ve already ordered. What would you like?”

“How would I know? I’ve never been here before-”

“Are you dating someone?” The cashier interjected and Keith just looked at her.

“Well, it’s supposed to be a secret but, you know, what the hey.” He reached out and grabbed Keith at the waist, pulling him closer. “This is my boyfriend. Sorry.”

“I’m your what-” but he couldn’t finish because Lance kissed him right then and there to shut him up. It really should’ve been a light peck but Keith’s lips were smashed against Lance’s and then Lance got really into it and slipped his tongue into Keith’s mouth. And as soon as Keith’s eyes fluttered shut, he reciprocated briefly before he hastily bit hard on Lance’s lower lip and Lance reeled back, putting his fingers to his lips. Keith breathed, chest heaving, and he straightened himself out.

“Please give me an order of everything you have on your menu, please and thank you. Also,” he grabbed an armful of coffee bags, “these too. Also, some gift cards. Don’t worry,” he smiled, gesturing to Lance, “he’s paying.” And he walked off to the bathroom, composed until he shut the door behind him.

What in the absolute fuck. He looked at himself in the mirror and then noticed a red spot on his upper lip and then he realized it was Lance’s blood. Ugh. He splashed himself in the face with water, wondering why it had all turned out this way.

After fifteen minutes, he took in a very deep breath and made his way back out to find Lance in the middle of six tables with all the stuff from the menu and Lance holding onto a bag of coffee beans. The both of them didn’t know what face to make as Keith made his way over and it was all very strange.

“Here’s all your stuff, babe,” Lance gestured with his free arm. And Keith snatched the bag of coffee beans and raised it over his head.

“I’m going to-I’m going to-”

“ _Bean me_?” And a shit eating grin appeared and Keith dropped his arm, sighing, and then he fucking beaned Lance in the stomach. 

“Yeah, that,” Keith finalized, dusting his hands and he proceeded to go through all the coffee beverages as Lance suffered on the floor. The boy could pack a punch. Keith settled on a frappucino that didn’t taste too bad and he grabbed a croissant and said, “Let’s go.” He made his way out the door and Lance followed, dragging himself slowly across the floor and then got up, realizing his clothes were going to get dirty and he didn’t dare fuck up his one of a kind army jacket his mom had made for him.

“So, how did it go?” Hunk asked as Keith closed the helicopter door as hard as he could.

“Understandable,” agreed Pidge.

And they all waited as Lance climbed in shutting the door behind him. He was silent and the only sound that could be heard was Keith sucking his straw to get at his frappucino. This annoyed Lance after a bit and he went, “Could you maybe stop doing that?”

“I’d rather be sucking the straw than have you suck my face,” Keith retorted and the helicopter went extremely quiet. The whirring of the blades could be heard overhead. 

“You can sue him if you want. I don’t care.”

“Pidge! You’re supposed to look out for me,” Lance whined.

“In fact, please do.”

“Aw, Pidge, give Lance a break.”

“You gave him too long of one, Hunk. No mercy,” and Pidge’s glasses flashed. This, for some reason, made Keith bust up laughing and it was honestly the most beautiful sound Lance had ever heard. In fact, it beat the sound of the ocean on a cool and lonely morning and Lance gulped. Once Keith had finished, Lance just looked at his hands.

“Keith, look, I’m sorry for that. Back there. Won’t happen again.”

Keith’s heart constricted in a very bizarre way and he just ignored it. “I accept your apology, Lance.” A second of silence. “Thank you.”

“Did you hear that, Hunk?”

“Sure did, Pidge.”

“I can’t believe Lance apologized to someone other than his mother.”

Lance was red. “Both of you shut up, please.”

“Actually, no. First amendment, Lance. Read it and weep,” went Pidge, and Hunk laughed heartily. Keith watched as everything played out and he had to admit, Lance’s world looked sort of fun and not at all...lonely. He pulled at his croissant in the meanwhile, buttery pieces of fluff dissolving in his mouth as the clouds in the sky eventually faded away. Eventually, his forehead rested against the windshield and he fell asleep despite all the noise.

“Wake up, princess, we’re home.” Keith groggily opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the helicopter behind Lance’s face that looked down at him. And for some reason, Keith’s head was on Lance’s lap and once he came to terms with that, he sat up dangerously fast, knocking his face into Lance’s. The impact made both of them groan and Keith fell back onto Lance’s lap, pressing his hand to his throbbing forehead. “Dammit, Keith!” Lance grimaced, pressing a hand to his own forehead, teeth clenched.

“Why the hell does this happen?” Keith said as he eventually sat up, slowly, so as not to feel like he was floating through time and space by doing so. He rubbed at his forehead, groaning.

“What, you hurting me? I don’t know.”

“You should,” piped up Pidge and Lance groaned as he unbuckled, and his made his way out his side and then opened Keith’s door.

“Hope you enjoyed your day with actor Lance McClain,” he said, trying to smile coolly but the pain gave him a hard time. Keith stepped out and actually, for some godforsaken reason, stumbled and Lance caught his hand with his. “Do you need me to walk you in?”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” And Keith made his way back inside the building to his apartment, where he flopped down on the couch and the whirring of helicopter blades started strong and then faded away. The swishing of leaves on the trees silence and Keith took a breath. He was so ready for the pounding to go away in his head. But the pounding in his heart?

Not so much. 

He groaned and thought about what the hell his body had been through and as much as he decidedly hated Lance McClain, he couldn’t help but want to be around him, too. Which was fucking unbelievable but the most beautiful man had kissed him and he’d kissed him back.

Yeah, Keith needed to lie down.


	2. and everything changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s not fair. I showed you mine.” Lance said. “Now you definitely need to show me yours.”
> 
> He looked at Keith and Keith felt his face grow immensely hot. There was no way he could show him his. Lance’s look came off strangely serious and Keith regretted everything leading up to it.

Readjusting his body back to his old California sleep schedule was rough.

It had been a year but it had proven slightly dangerous, since he’d been dozing off while driving around doing basic errands. So for several days after his return, he pretty much spent his days lying around. All he did was read and cook and he only did potentially life-threatening things immediately after he woke up. The only real productive things he’d done were go to Seattle with a very strange guy and visit the bar where he’d worked previously, just so he could fall into the routine of working late nights again.

After a week, he’d convinced himself that whatever had happened between him and Lance was done and he was sort of grateful, since he was so goddamn tired. Then, shortly after that, Ryan came back and Keith was hit with an incredulous wave of nostalgia after he entered his apartment, smiling. “Welcome back,” he said and Keith, despite his bones still recovering, ran and jumped into Ryan’s arms, legs wrapped around his torso.

“It’s good to be back,” Keith said, as he nestled his face into Ryan’s shoulder and then he smelled something he was very confused by. He let his feet hit the floor and he removed his hands from Ryan’s neck. “Why do you smell like lavender? You hate that smell.”

Ryan sighed. “I know, I do, it’s just that the client owned a lavender farm and we had to tour in order to get in good with him.” And then he smiled and leaned in, kissing Keith. Once he withdrew, he leaned in and whispered, “Now, how about I give you your welcome back present?”

And then they slowly but surely made their way back to the bedroom.

The smell of lavender faded as they did.

However, the next day, Ryan claimed he had more work to attend to and Keith, of course, understood. 

He always did.

“I’m so lucky you get me,” Ryan said, after a goodbye kiss that morning. “See you.” And he left Keith still under sheets glowing from sunlight leaking in through the leaves from outside.

“Yeah, see you.” He gave a small smile and then observed his fingertips as they moved gently and ever so in his vision and he thought about touch long after Ryan had gone. Then, after a while, Keith got up and got dressed, and he decided to make himself something to eat and then thought about what to paint after he finished eating his instant noodles.

As he ate, he became incredibly conscious of how quiet his place was. He was so used to the sounds of the city and usually was out in Korea and he hadn’t set foot on campus in a year. But why was he questioning the silence now? He’d always been fine with it because it was nice not to have noisy neighbors and to be able to live where trees outnumbered people and it was fine.

But spending a year somewhere else put everything else into perspective.

He finished eating in silence and then set his bowl in the sink. It wasn’t time to be thinking too much and besides, it would be better to put all those expensive paints to good use. So he tied up his hair and set everything up, fingers anxious in anticipation to see if they still had it.

And a few hours later, his heart swelled knowing that he still had it.

It gave him something to feel good about as he settled in for his nap so he could last through his first night back at Bayard 5.

When he woke up, his body exhibited signs of being a fraction more grateful for the extra rest during the day. As he pushed aside the clothes in his closet, he found his bar tending uniform and it gave him something to smile about, since he’d met Ryan as a coworker several years ago. Getting dressed felt like home and Keith’s body liked the familiarity as he moved about in it, raising his arms to put his hair half-up, crinkling the white of the sleeves. Yeah, it definitely felt good.

And after a couple weeks back, sleep decided not plague him while he drove, which he was incredibly thankful for. Traffic was decent as he drove old roads and everything was starting to come back to him and familiar sights filled his drive back to work. Once he exited his car, he took a deep breath in the parking lot, indulging in the horizon turning purple from the lack of sun as the daylight faded. It was going to be okay, after all, he still had a job after not working for a whole year.

Walking back in a second time wasn’t overwhelming in presence but the fact that it was more lively since it was a Friday night made Keith revisit his past experiences, the ones he could remember, and he smiled warmly as he made his way to the back room. “Keith, it’s great to have you back,” was what he was immediately met with, from his boss, Mrs. Lakeholm, who slapped him on the back. “We missed you!”

“Ah, thanks,” Keith placed a hand on his back, massaging where she slapped him. “It’s good to be back.”

“And as you may have noticed,” she raised her chin, “we have a good crowd tonight.” The pride emulated from her hands on her hips and Keith couldn’t help but smile at her. “Now, I can have someone take the first hours and you can observe or-”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I want to just do my job again.” Keith’s body craved more of home and his fingers told him so.

“I always liked that about you,” she said, grinning. “Such a go getter.”

And Keith thanked her before making his way out into the bar. Lifting the wood barrier and going back behind the bar once more gave his fingers something to cherish. It was honestly amazing feeling the polished wood underneath his fingertips as he made his way to the center and he stood, holding one hand with other behind his back.

“Ah, barkeep!” someone called and Keith smiled, and that’s where the night began.

The night ended at about two in the morning after some college kids finally left, adding to quite the bar tab they had going. Keith whistled lowly at the number as he cleaned the last of some glasses and once he was done, he intertwined his fingers in front of him and then raised his hands over his head, feeling his shoulders stretch and his back loved him for it.

As he left his position behind the bar, he let his fingers run along the wood until there was no more and he made his way to the back, gathering his things. “See you tomorrow,” he told his boss.

“See you,” she said, and he made his way outside and he couldn’t help but stop and admire the stars above before he finally continued his path back to his car, one of only a few left in the parking lot. Before he got in, he let his hair fall from its ponytail and he rested his head on one hand as he drove home, silence taking him all the way.

Tiredness decided to cut him a break as he climbed back up the stairs, feeling strangely alive with every step he took. He sighed as he put his key in and unlocked his door, to find that the clock on the stove read 2:37 a.m. and Keith’s mind recalled everything. He shut the door and slipped his shoes off, as he couldn’t help but wonder about what the hell that call was and what that time with Lance meant. After all, it had been a month since that call.

As Keith filled his coffee pot with water and set it to heat up, he slipped his phone out of his pocket, to find, he had, believe it or not, 69 missed calls from Lance and five texts that said, “call me” in escalating urgency from all lowercase to all caps. Keith just sort of stared at his phone and gave it a look, as his heart betrayed him and sped up a little bit. He yawned as he hit the call button, only to have his call answered. “Yeah, real urgent my ass,” he muttered, trying a second, then a third, and he swore that if he didn’t pick up the tenth time he was done with Lance Mcclain.

And unfortunately for him, Lance picked up on the tenth time. “Hey,” came casually from the other end.

“So, like, was it your plan to call me exactly 69 times?”

“What can I say, I believe certain numbers hold significant meaning.”

“Right.” Keith watched the coffee pot under the light in the kitchen.

“Anyways, I need you to come down to L.A. tomorrow.” 

“What, you ignore me for two weeks and then all of a sudden I’m supposed to be at your beck and call?” Keith let go and then he pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting every word. “That’s not what I meant-”

“No, I understand completely. I know the feeling of having a very beautiful man leaving you feeling neglected. The reason I know is that sometimes I neglect myself because I’m always so busy and it’s absolutely tragic, Keith, but, you know, whatever.” Keith could practically see the shit eating grin in his head.

“I will hang up.”

“Okay, yeah, look, we’ll pick you up at 4:20 because we’re busy the first half of the day so be ready.”

“What, no, I have work-”

“Work can wait. Pidge will have my ass if you aren’t ready to go tomorrow.”

“Do you think I care about what happens to your ass?”

“I think you do.”

“Mmm, I think not. Goodnight,” and Keith ended the call right as Lance was about to say something else. He blew his bangs out of his face as he waited a few more minutes before he turned off the coffee pot. The coffee created steam as it was poured into a red mug and Keith drank it, later wondering why he smiled as he did, when he turned off the lights to go to sleep. 

Waking up the next day wasn’t so bad. 

Nothing bothered Keith until the clock struck noon and then he was reminded that Lance knew where he lived. He groaned, pressing his hand to his temple, as he was about to start finishing up his painting of a lake and some trees. “I cannot believe this.” He set his paintbrush down and his body would not let him forget so instead, he got dressed for work and drove there like six hours early.

“Please, just let me work this shift.” Keith’s hair was tied half up and he was ready to go.

“I can’t Keith, Lacey’s got this one.” She crossed her arms, cocking her head to the side. “Why are you here, anyway? Live your life. Don’t need to be working all the time.”

“Mrs. Lakeholm, I currently need to avoid the reality of my life.”

“I told you to call me Liza.”

“Liza, I’m telling you, I need to avoid being at home right now.”

“Keith, is there something going on that I should know about?” Her dark eyebrows furrowed and she looked as if she was trying to figure everything out.

“Nothing bad- promise. But it’s not something I endorse, to be honest. A bit of an annoyance but nothing severe. There’s no need to worry.” He smiled reassuringly. “But seriously, is there anything I can do to keep busy even though my shift isn’t for hours?”

“Well, Jordan stepped out for lunch and that means dishes are unmanned-”

“I’ll take it. Thanks so much,” Keith said as he made his way into the kitchen, prepared to lose himself in washing cups and plates and utensils. It was warm soapy bliss and the sounds of chatter eased up the tension in his back and he knew he was safe, incredibly safe.

And before he knew it, Lacey’s shift was up and it was his turn to work his magic.

He and Lacey nodded at one another as they exchanged places and Keith felt good. He, of course, had not been ready to be whisked away like he didn’t have responsibilities he needed to attend to. Everything about being at the center of it all put him at ease because he could see everything.

And unfortunately hear everything too.

“Look, I’m going to need to see some I.D.” came from Liza and he didn’t care at all as he busied himself with making a gin and tonic for an older lady. 

“Certainly.” Keith kind of froze, thinking about how he knew that pitch from somewhere and it bothered him that he couldn’t quite place it. With his back to everyone else, he just simply thought he was hearing things. After all, things had been strange lately.

He served the gin and tonic once he was finished and then, at the end of the bar, “I keep telling you not to run off like this!” At first, he slowly raised his head, bangs an obstruction at first but then he moved them with trembling fingertips. The one who had spoke was in fact Pidge. They were talking to someone with an awfully familiar green jacket and the hood was up but Keith knew who they were talking to. “I cannot believe this shit you put me through.”

“Then you shouldn’t have usurped Hunk!”

“Hey, wow, look! The idiot’s right for once!” Pidge huffed. “I need a drink.”

“That’s got to be embarrassing ordering after you got asked for I.D. I mean, like, you look like you’re twelve-” And then there was a shriek and the conversation quieted and it grew quiet. Pidge smiled charmingly and then they saw Keith. 

“Hey, barkeep, can you give me something really strong?” Keith nodded after a pause and Pidge gave him a thumbs up. 

“Well, then, I want something, too,” and Lance spun around, not looking the least bit surprised to see Keith. “Get me-”

“Don’t get him anything,” said Pidge, as they planted themself in a seat in front of Keith. “It’ll just make the ride back all the more painful.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that to you.” Keith finished and Lance came down the stretch of bar and sat next to Pidge. “Let me get you that drink,” and he turned away, not knowing how to even look at Lance. And how the hell did they find him? The liquor only pooled so much in a shot glass and he set it down in front of Pidge who snatched it and downed it like it was nothing.

They eyed Lance, who was trying to flirt with the girls next to him, and Pidge’s eyes hardened. “I’m going to need three more.” Keith raised his eyebrows, a bit of a smile threatening to spread across his face but he did as Pidge asked. “Thanks. You understand my pain.”

“To be perfectly honest,” Keith watched Lance, “I probably don’t even know a fraction of it.”

“A fraction of what?” Lance entered the conversation, looking between Pidge and Keith. “Guys?”

“Listen, Keith, you’re probably going to want something too if you want to survive the trip to L.A. tonight.”

Keith shook his head, a little red at the thought that he was an affectionate and vulnerable drunk who didn’t need more than couple drinks to spill everything. “Yeah, no thanks. Also, I’m not going, Pidge.”

“What?” They pointedly looked at Lance who conveniently looked elsewhere. “Lance, you said that he agreed.”

“You what?” said Keith, causing Lance to turn back around. “I never said yes!”

“You also never said no either.” 

Keith raised his hands in front of him, questioning the very stupidity of the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. “Also, how the fuck did you find me?”

“As a beautiful man, I have my ways.”

“As an idiotic man, you’re dead,” Pidge said levelly and then turned back to Keith. “Look, I really need you to come with us. It’s going to make my life as manager of this new shitfest a whole lot easier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, if you won’t do it for Lance over here, which I completely understand,” came from Pidge as Lance interjected with a brief noise of objection, “do it for me. Lord knows I need all the help I can get.” They glared at Lance and he rolled his eyes. “Please, Keith, we need to go over some things.”

“It would help if I knew what you were talking about.”

“Look, Keith, when we get there, I am prepared to tell you everything. Just, please, come with. The helicopter’s waiting. Please.” Keith’s uncertainty wavered when he saw how serious Pidge looked. He took in a deep breath.

“Let me tell my boss, then.”

“You are my savior.” And Liza took over as Keith profusely apologized and then made his way outside, wondering how and why as he made his way over. The helicopter door sat open and the warm breeze sifted through as he climbed in.

“Thanks, man, this means a lot,” came from Hunk and Keith nodded silently in response. The door closed and Keith loosened his tie. His hands reached up to take down his hair when Lance spoke.

“So, you only wear you hair up for your job?”

“Mostly,” Keith replied, sliding the hair tie from his hair and he placed it on his left wrist.

“It looks nice.” Three words and Keith was sapped of all his momentarily.

“Thanks,” Keith answered, and he turned his attention to watching the sunset from so high up. 

Everything about watching the sky fade to black was so peaceful. No one fought and there were no terrible puns and everything lacked touch, which Keith was grateful for. He watched the lights of land below and he wondered if the exact thing would happen if he fell asleep like he did the last time.

He let his eyes drift back to find Pidge on their phone and Lance, amazingly, was asleep. Keith merely studied him and he had to admit, him sleeping was a lovely sort of sight and then he remembered it was his personality that ruined it all. Keith giggled before succumbing to a yawn, and then his eyes shut and he fell asleep as well.

He was awakened  when it was still dark out and he blinked, suddenly feeling a weight on his right shoulder. He turned his head slowly and found Lance’s elbow resting there and his head was tucked into his bent arm. His other arm was stretched out, held up mysteriously against the window pane. Keith just kind of froze and then a flash illuminated against his face. He turned to see Pidge putting their phone down.

“That motherfucker doesn’t believe me when I say he dabs in his sleep but now I have fucking proof. Thank you Keith.” And Pidge turned around as Keith wondered what the hell dabbing even was. “Also, we’re here now so wake him up, please,” added Pidge and Keith considered how to do so. He decided to go the way with the minimal contact and he moved his shoulder up and down gently.

“Lance, wake up,” he whispered, consistently moving his shoulder. But for some reason, Lance stirred and his left arm extended and he hooked his arm around Keith’s neck. “Lance.” The straightened arm wrapped around Keith’s neck as well. “Lance!” His face got increasingly close to Keith’s and he had no choice but headbutt Lance, who groaned in response as he opened his eyes.

“Hey, what was that-” And then he realized what the hell he was doing and he removed his arms at once.

Keith pressed his fingers to his forehead. “We’re here.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” And Lance opened the helicopter door on his side and climbed out. Keith bit his tongue while he made his way out and then a warm breeze hit him again and he couldn’t help but stare at the landing pad beneath his feet, which was illuminated by lights angled towards the center on the far outer rim. The blades slowly spun to a stop and everything was silent, at least for a bit.

“Follow me,” Pidge called back and Keith obliged in the dead of night.

He ended up in going through a door that led straight into a practical glowing palace. It was incredible and Keith had to secretly pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The ceilings arched high and while it was grand, it was also very simple. Keith watched Lance ahead of him, trying to work out why the place didn’t exactly match Lance McClain.

Tall windows were paneled high that allowed a look into darkness and a thin strip of light signified the city in the distance was alive and thriving. It distracted Keith as he followed and eventually, they ended up in a very large kitchen. Pidge set their stuff down on a table meant for twenty and Keith marveled at the sight of it. “Well boys, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m going to sleep. Everyone be up by seven for the important discussion.” Hunk said good night during Pidge’s little speech and walked off, leaving the three of them alone. Pidge turned to Keith and added, “Let me show you to a spare room.”

“Okay,” he agreed and he followed to a bedroom easily ten times the size of his with two beds. 

“Here you are. Bathroom’s down the hall if you need anything.” 

“Thanks,” Keith managed before Pidge was gone. He was just busy looking around at how vibrant the room was, the walls somehow blending in a mysteriously appealing array of citrus colors and everything about the room felt like it did not belong. Keith felt his eyelids grow heavy after observing everything and without a second thought, he plopped onto the nearest bed and was out like a light. It was nice to fall asleep. It was peaceful.

However, he was given a crude awakening.

“Attention everyone, and by everyone, I mean Lance and Keith.” A large voice came from the ceiling and Keith groggily sat up. “Hunk and I are waiting at the kitchen table. It’s an hour past seven and I expect the both of you to get yourselves out your doors in a minute. However, Lance, you’re expected to be here in five and Keith can take as long as he wants. That is all.” There was static of an intercom being turned off and Keith yawned as he stood up, making his way pretty much successfully back to the table.

“Morning,” he offered and Pidge just looked incredulous. Hunk was eating some type of breakfast and it smelled good. Pidge just kept looking at Keith and they placed a hand on their chest, staring wordlessly. Then, they spoke back into the intercom, “Lance, Keith was here before you. I will literally spill all the unfortunate things I know about you if you aren’t here in three minutes. Until then, I will be playing elevator music until you show up.” The intercom was shut off and Keith was very baffled. “Just watch.” Pidge then blasted Rick Astley and Keith didn’t seem to get what was wrong with the music but nonetheless, faint screaming could be heard and it came closer until it stopped and Lance appeared two minutes and forty-seven seconds later.

“Nobody rickrolls me! Nobody!” He huffed, and Pidge shut off the music once Lance was within five feet.

“Well, I just did. Looks like someone didn’t want unfortunate secrets leaking.”

“Like you could get through three of them without feeling like hurling,” Lance grinned smugly.

“While that may be true, we have things to discuss. Everyone sit.”

“Hold on,” said Lance, as he made his way into the kitchen, wearing a royal blue bathrobe that was tied snugly at his waist. Pidge sat very still before looking Keith dead in the eye.

“Did you know that Lance actually w-”

“I’m back,” spat Lance, carrying a plate of pretty bread, with pink and white power patterned on them. Keith studied them as he set them down on the table and then he took a seat. He grabbed a pink dusted one and bit into it.

“Keith, if you could sit down, that would be great.” Pidge directed and he took a seat next to Lance. “Thank you. Also, Lance, I really wished you’d dressed for this instead of being in a bathrobe and with an eye mask on top of your head.”

“Oh, Pidge, please.”

“Even Keith is more dressed up for this than you.”

“He is wearing last night’s clothes, thank you very much,” and he pointedly held his bread in Keith’s direction and all Keith could do was watch the pretty powder fall onto the shiny surface of the table. He was curious to try one.

“And somehow he’s still better than you in every conceivable way.”

“Like you’re able to be the judge of that, Pi-”

“Anyways, we have important things to talk about.” Lance scoffed and Keith took a bread, fascinated, and he took a small bite, hanging onto it as he chewed slowly, surprised at the sweetness. He put his fingers to his lips as he swallowed, in awe.

“This is really good,” Keith interjected and everyone just looked at him in surprise and the fighting was subdued. “What is this?”

“It’s pan dulce, sweet bread. It’s a mexican delicacy and my favorite,” Lance answered, a smile playing at his lips, almost sincere.

“It’s amazing,” and Keith busied himself with eating like a baby, taking small bites and chewing as the bread remained close to his mouth.

“While I’m glad Keith is enjoying this hell hole, we still have certain things to discuss, Lance.” Pidge pushed their glasses up the bridge of their nose. “Now, first things first.” And with that, Pidge slammed a picture onto the table, startling everyone. “Check and mate.” They slid it in front of Lance and he absentmindedly looked at it, and then he froze.

“You staged this! I-I don’t do this!”

“Keith witnessed it all. Case closed, you fucking meme.”

“How dare you talk to me like that, I’m-”

“Now that we all know Lance McClain dabs in his sleep-”

“I do not!”

“We have an even more serious matter to attend to.” Pidge’s face turned grave as they turned to opening a manila folder filled with magazine and newspaper clippings and they all slid over one another because there were just so many. Keith continued eating his bread and he just looked on in pure curiosity, savoring the sweetness in his mouth. His fascination with the bread was sort of entertaining to watch, as Lance decided to zone out. “The media thinks you two are together.”

Keith almost choked as Lance just examined his fingernails. “Excuse me?”

“They think Lance McClain is dating some mysterious pretty boy.”

“And why would they think that?” Keith’s bitten into bread lay on the table and he cocked his head to the side.

Pidge gave a sympathetic shake of their head and Keith grew wary. And in response to his question, Pidge simply slid over a photo. It was grainy and clearly taken from far away but it was undoubtedly him and Lance, when they had...kissed. Keith lifted the photo off the table. “No way.”

“I guess the paparazzi just got lucky that day or someone sold it but either way, everyone wants to know,” Pidge intertwined their fingers and rested their chin on them. “That’s why we needed to figure out the game plan.”

“Aw, Pidge, just admit you just wanted to getcha head in the game,” Lance said, as he rested an arm atop Keith’s chair.

“Lance, you do realize I have been working very hard to market you as an unattainable man, right? Just to cover up the fact that you can’t flirt to save your life?” Lance burned red and Keith saw it out of the corner of his eye.

“Pidge, buddy, look-”

“Don’t ‘buddy’ me. Now we have to do some serious damage control. This has been circulating like wildfire and-”

“You mean everyone knew about this and I didn’t?” Keith asked, very sincerely. 

“He doesn’t follow modern culture,” Lance added to a flabbergasted Pidge, who then sighed.

“Okay, all right, I forgive him _but not you_ , **_certainly not you_**.” They jabbed a pointer finger a couple of times in Lance’s direction.

“It’s not nice to point, Pidge.”

“It’s also not nice to fucking screw up your pathetic image!” Hunk just sat quietly as Pidge’s use of the f word escalated every day they had to spend with Lance, which unfortunately, meant the foreseeable future. “Also when you have big roles to audition for! Nobody wants a scandal!” Lance gulped at the auditions mention and Keith just stared at the photo in front of him. The quality became a blur and then a question danced on the tip of his tongue.

“Then why am I here?” Pidge gave him an even more sympathetic look and felt something pool at the bottom of his stomach. “Why did you need me?” Hunk, at that point, had finished eating and took his plate to the kitchen and then exited like his life depended on it.

Pidge breathed in, then out, and went, “What I need you to do will be so incredibly taxing on your soul and I’m so sorry it had to come to this.” Keith raised an eyebrow and Pidge continued, “I need you to act as Lance’s boyfriend for quite some time.”

“What.”

“I’m so sorry you got tangled up in this but if you go along with this fake dating scenario, I am prepared to offer you whatever Lance can give-”

“Hey!” It came from Lance and then no more, as Pidge silenced him with a death glare. 

“Fake dating?” Keith couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“Yes, you know, like pretending to date this piece of shit, which includes holding hands with this piece of shit and kissing this piece of shit and just going out in public with this piece of-”

“Okay, I think he gets that you think I’m a piece of shit.” Lance crossed his arms.

“Yeah, just being with this piece of shit in a facade so that the unattainable man becomes the perfect relationship partner and also so that directors think they’re getting a great guy, when really, we’re tricking them, but Lance needs these roles and-”

“What,” Keith repeated, the word heavy on his tongue.

“So, whatever you want, Lance’ll give you. Money? A house? Tuition money? A new car? Whatever and it would just be your time we’re buying and I’m so sorry-”

“I have a boyfriend and a job and I’m sorry but I can’t.” The room went quiet and the three of them sat very still.

“Keith, please think about it,” Pidge said as they collected their stuff back together. “Please.” And Pidge left, leaving only Keith and Lance alone at a table meant for twenty. Keith placed his face in his hands and his mind was running very fast. It wasn’t logical.

He had responsibilities in his life he couldn’t abandon.

A person he couldn’t abandon, even though that person wasn’t really around a lot. 

Yeah, there was no way.

“I hope you’ll at least think about it,” came from his right and Keith felt his shoulders tense. “I mean, I know it’s a mess but I’ll never admit that Pidge is right. But it’d be helpful, to, you know, have you around. I mean, it sucks you’re a part of this but at least we can share the mess togeth-”

“Lance, I just can’t.” Keith removed his face from his hands. 

“There has to be something you need out of this. I mean, I know you’re going to Berkeley. I will gladly give you tuition money for your time.”

“As much as I need that, I have a boyfriend. It would be cheating.”

“I see.” 

“Please take me home.” 

“Stay, just for a day. Think about it. I know it’s overwhelming so just...do that for me.” And Lance stood up, leaving on that note. Once he’d left, Keith was able to look all around and he breathed, noticing the unfinished sweet bread near him but he’d lost his appetite. He stood and he figured the least he could do was throw away the bread and he found the trashcan in the kitchen, tossing it.

And as he slowly walked back to his room, he thought about Ryan.

It just wouldn’t be fair to engage in that sort of a grand and very public, affectionate lie and Keith rubbed his temples as he reentered the room he slept in. The colors he’d seen at night were much brighter now through the sizable window on the other side. In fact, now that he’d looked at it, the decor reminded him of that of a child’s. It was so lively that Keith had gotten lost in for a minute before he shook himself out of it before he sat down on the bed closest to the door and checked his phone.

The fact that there were no new messages hurt a little bit. And as Keith sat there, he moved in thumb in a slow circle, hovering over the screen, as he thought about everything. It all seemed like once Ryan had gotten his new job during the early part of Keith’s studies abroad, his texts lessened and he always was busy. Always had somewhere else to be.

And that’s when it hit Keith and the idea of sending a text went out the window immediately. So, instead, he gave Ryan a call. As the tone dial sounded repetitively, he gripped onto the phone, anticipation building in the pool of his stomach. He didn’t know what to feel solely so instead he felt everything at once.

Then the call was answered.

“Hi, I’m sorry, Ryan’s in the shower right now but I can take a message,” came a new male voice and Keith knew enough. He almost didn’t answer but instead he just kind of forced himself to not create conflict then.

“Sorry. Must’ve gotten the wrong number,” Keith apologized and then hung up. His phone was placed an arm’s length away from him and everything inside him just felt so...fucked up. And it smelled like lavender. But sadness that should’ve been there didn’t feel so prevalent. 

Sure, it hurt confirming it, but time spent apart proved Ryan weaker than Keith and for that, Keith didn’t feel like feeling sad and worthless. He felt incredibly calm in knowing that he wanted to retaliate in the same fashion towards Ryan and let him find out the hard way, the public way.

Hell, the tuition money would be a nice bonus.

And it was at that moment that Keith decided to have his best interests at heart when he left the spare bedroom and made his way back into the kitchen, to find it empty. But the plate of bread still sat on the table so he grabbed one as he walked around, something inside him broken and not telling him to waste his energy but then he found Pidge leaving a room. He made his way over and Pidge looked surprised.

“Oh, hey Keith, look we’ll give you a ride ba-”

“I’ll do it.” 

“Look, we can’t force you to if you don’t wa-”

“Pidge,” Keith gave a small smile. “I’ll do it. I’ve made up my mind. Answer’s yes.”

Pidge cocked their head, raising an eyebrow, almost ready to dissuade further but they instead knew it was better to shut up and accept Keith’s change of heart without questioning it too much. They gave a smile in turn and Keith brightened at that. And then Pidge’s smile slipped. “What about your boyfriend?"

“He said he’d be fine.” Keith waved it off.

“And your job?” Pidge asked and Keith paused, actually stumped, because he actually liked his job. “I mean, unless you want us to take you back weekends when you’re free and you can work.”

“What do you mean when you say you’ll take me back?”

“Keith, it’d probably be a a lot easier if you just lived in Lance’s house while this all goes on.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I mean, we can fly you back for a couple days or just get you transferred for a bit, although, maybe it would be better if you didn’t work-”

Then Keith remembered. “Actually, Bayard 5 has a twin bar in L.A. and I could just talk to my boss. Yeah, it’ll all work out.” Keith smiled and Pidge prayed that he was ready for the shitstorm of faking a relationship to millions of people who cared. “I’ll feel more comfortable if I have something to do.”

“Okay then. You just sort everything out and then meet us all back for lunch at noon, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

And Keith called his boss, leaving out major details and just saying he had an internship at a gallery and that it’d be great if he could work at Altea and she sounded suspicious at first but as Keith piled on lie after lie, she actually sounded happy for him. The job was taken care of.

Then he called his landlord and explained he was going to be gone a couple months (he roughly guessed) so that Mr. Kiprit wouldn’t think he was dead in a ditch somewhere. He explained the same story he gave to his boss and that he would still pay rent despite not living there. After much persuading, Mr. Kiprit agreed not to evict him at any point that Keith would be gone. He thanked his landlord and then hung up, feeling accomplished at about 10:30. 

And then, out of pure spite, Keith texted Ryan the same spiel and shut off his phone. 

As Keith lay there, he thought about a lot of things and then Ryan answered, an hour later.

 

**Okay, that’s incredibly wild. But I’m happy for you! I’ll miss you!!!**

 

Keith actually let out a loud laugh at that, brief and incredulous. But it was done and if Ryan didn’t suspect a goddamn thing, then Keith was happy, elated to find himself now in L.A. He sat up and thought about the past month and how it really had changed his life.

It also was interesting to think about as he made his way through the large house back to the kitchen and the dining room, smelling something really good. When he turned the corner, he was surprised to find Lance McClain cooking lunch.

“You can cook?” Keith said before he could stop himself. Lance stopped stirring some rice and looked at him.

“No, no I can’t,” he said very seriously, and he turned his attention back to the food on the stove. 

“Am I gonna get this daily dosage of sass every day that I’m going to be here?” And Keith, for some reason, hoisted himself so he could sit on the counter.

“Maybe,” Lance said as he put a lid on the rice. “Actually, yes,” and he moved closer to Keith. It was then that Keith realized that he was dressed normally, in really nice darkwash jeans and a snug white t-shirt. Keith felt his heart speed up as Lance came closer and closer, until he was directly in front of him. “Depends.”

“What does that mean?” was soon silenced as Lance reached out and placed a hand on the side of Keith’s neck, fingers weaving between his hair. Lance’s hand felt warm and his skin felt hot and Keith didn’t understand why this was happening. “What are you doing?” The words were quiet.

“Practicing,” and then Lance bit his lower lip as he moved in to kiss Keith and then, before he could, a fire alarm sounded overhead. It was shrill and both boys froze and then, all of a sudden, water started falling from above. Lance slowly removed his hand and slowly turned around to see one of the pans producing a large flame. “Oh, _mierda_ ,” Lance said and Keith wondered what that meant.

It was at that moment that Pidge yelled from really far away and Lance jumped, almost slipping from the water sprinkling above. About a minute later, Pidge rapidly turned the corner with a fire extinguisher in hand. “Why do you do this?” was their brief statement before putting out the pan fire. After the fire was put out and all the stove fires turned off, Pidge turned sharply to Lance. “ _You know you can’t cook_ , Lance!”

Keith reconsidered something as he looked over at Lance. “You said you couldn’t.”

“He was telling the truth.” Pidge said gravely.

“I honestly figured he was just giving me sass.”

“I pray that one day someone will get to know the difference.”

“Hey-”

The alarm was still blaring overhead and then finally, it cut everyone a break. A minute after that, the sprinklers shut off and everyone was wet. It was then that Hunk walked in, calm as could be, and asked, “So, take-out?” And pointed to a phone in his hand.

“Please,” Pidge said as they took off their glasses, furiously wiping water droplets of off them.

Hunk smiled and then sat down at the table and Pidge joined him, practically ready to give up.

The water felt cool on Keith’s neck and he laughed as he wrung out his hair. “I have a feeling that this wasn’t the first incident.”

“It wasn’t,” Pidge called from the table and Keith smiled. “It was his twenty-seventh.”

“No it wasn’t!” And Keith turned to look at Lance, who currently was ruffling a hand through dark brown hair, sending water droplets flying everywhere. He was about to say something but then he noticed how Lance’s white shirt clung to his torso and Keith hated finding himself speechless at that. “I haven’t even passed twenty times.”

“Do not test me Lance Charles McClain.” Keith gulped before he looked at Lance’s face again.

“Your middle name’s Charles?”

“Yeah, it is,” and then Lance grabbed at his shirt’s hem, beginning to wring it out, and a glimpse of skin could be seen. Keith’s mind went blank and his staring didn’t go unnoticed. “Like what you see, huh?” Lance raised and eyebrow smiling. 

Before Keith could say anything, Hunk approached the kitchen counter. “I’m going to get the food and Pidge is coming with, apparently.” And then he turned to Keith. “Don’t let him cook while we’re gone.”

“Please don’t,” said Pidge as they walked by, and Hunk waved bye before following suit.

And then it was just Keith and Lance left.

“You never answered my question,” Lance turned to Keith.

“I didn’t have the chance.”

“Well, now you do.” Keith felt his eyes widen a little and he almost didn’t find the words to say.

“No.”

“You lie, _you think I’m gorgeous_ ,” Lance smiled and Keith wanted another fire to get him out of having this conversation with Lance Mcclain. “ _You want to kiss me_ , _you want to date me_ ,” he sang in a mocking fashion and Keith covered his face with his hands. Now was not the time for Lance to quote any of Miss Congeniality. 

“Why did Pidge leave me alone?”

“So you can get used to it, probably.” Lance picked up a wooden spoon and then pointed it at Keith. “Face it pal, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” 

“How long does it take for them to get back from a fast food run?”

“Don’t worry,” Lance tapped the spoon to his chin, “I’m sure they’ll be back... _spoon_.” And he grinned.

“For you safety, I sure hope so,” and Keith slid off the counter and he made his way to the table. He sat down and the summer heat somehow got him so he removed his hair tie and gathered the damp hair from his neck. As he tied it up, Lance came and sat down next to him. He just looked at Lance and his messy hair and then, suddenly, noticed and eyelash on his cheek. “Eyelash,” he said, tapping his cheek.

Lance reached for the wrong cheek and then corrected himself but after various attempts he couldn’t get it, and Keith became frustrated. “Here,” and he reached out a hand and brushed it off with his thumb, pausing to brush again because Lance’s skin was incredibly soft. It was act without thought behind it and a poor one on Keith’s judgement. Lance’s eyes that looked away slowly traveled back to stare at Keith’s eyes. At that point, Keith realized what he was doing and he withdrew his hand immediately. “Ah, sorry.”

“No, I get it, if I were you, then, well, it would be nice to touch such a beautiful face.”

“Why don’t you ever shut up?” Keith rubbed his temples, even though he was the slightest bit grateful that Lance didn’t reciprocate and make the situation much more than it needed to be.

“That’s a good question,” came from Pidge and Keith breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why does your timing always coincide with you all ragging on me?”

“What can I say, I’ve gotten good at what I do,” and Pidge set down a white plastic bag and Hunk followed with a few more. They looked at Keith and then said, “I hope you like chinese food.”

“I love it,” Keith smiled and Lance found himself looking away.

“That’s good to hear,” said Hunk, and he passed out some plates and utensils. Keith recoiled at the sight of receiving a spoon and he wondered just how many things would be ruined by becoming puns straight out of Lance’s mouth. “Everyone dig in.” And the boxes were opened and rice and noodles and chicken all smelled so good.

Eating good food gave Keith a warm feeling in his stomach and he felt good about a lot of things he didn’t feel great about earlier. Everyone ate silently at first and then gradually, Hunk started talking about his new baby niece and Pidge listened enthusiastically and then at one point, Lance found the perfect opportunity to slip in one godawful pun and then all hell broke loose.

“Can we have one day where you don’t ruin everything?”

“How dare you talk to me like this in my own house.”

“If I don’t, who will?”

“Probably Keith, if I’m being honest.” As Keith munched, everyone looked at him and Pidge nodded.

“Bless,” Pidge said, before going back to eating, cutting at a large piece of chicken with a knife.

“Pidge, relax,” went Hunk and it seemed like Pidge’s stress levels doubled at hearing that.

“Hunk, _don’t ever say something like that to me ever again while I have a knife in my hand_.”

“Yeah, Hunk, that’s not a very _knife_ thing to say.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Pidge stared very directly into Lance’s soul.

“That’s not very _knife_ , either.”

“You’d better sleep with one eye open from now on.”

“Ah, don’t say that! Keith will protect me, won’t you?” And he turned to look at Keith.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to face the wrath of Pidge.”

“Smart man.”

“What’s the point of having a boyfriend if he won’t even save me from being murdered?”

“Lance, it’s only pretend. I can pretend to try and save you.” Keith finally spoke.

“Actually, maybe I should let Pidge stab me and then they can go to prison.”

“And then I wouldn’t have to deal with you.” Pidge smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Guys, knock it off right now,” Hunk’s voice was very solid and clear and that shut the both of them up. He sighed and then looked at Keith. “Sorry about all that tension.”

That’s when Lance choked right next to Keith. “Yeah,” his voice cracked, “ _it was so thick that you could_ -”

“ _Don’t_ ,” came from Pidge but it was too late.

“ _Cut it with a knife_.” Keith face palmed and Pidge stood up, taking their knife with them. Hunk breathed in real nice and quick and smiled, and he grabbed Pidge, restraining the small manager from brutally ending his talent. After a few minutes, Pidge calmed down slightly and that, for some reason, meant they could be let go. Deathly quiet, Pidge returned to their seat and took their plate to the kitchen to throw it away. After that, they left.

Lance was in tears next to Keith and he sighed as he finished eating his rice.

“I can’t believe you upset your father like that,” went Hunk and Lance stopped.

“I can’t believe you guys do this to me. Stop acting like my mom.”

“We’re just looking out for you, especially since your real mom can’t be here all the time.” Lance gulped. “And I, as your mom, am telling you that you need to tone it down. Your father’s heart can only take so much.”

The seriousness of the conversation had tears welling in Keith’s eyes and he did his best to stifle his laughter.

“Stop.”

“As our son, we want-”

“I want out of this family. I’m getting an emancipation.” Hunk stood up with his empty plate and looked squarely at Keith.

“I will talk about it with your father.” And he left.

“Stop calling Pidge that!” Lance called after him. “Those two, man.”

“They’re funny,” Keith managed before he laughed freely once more. And then laughter filled the mostly silent dining area and Lance simply listened, taking it all in. Once Keith could stop himself completely, he added, “Your parents don’t deserve this.”

“Not you too.”

“Did you see how upset they were?”

“Even my boyfriend is against me. Incredible.” For some reason, Keith’s heart fluttered at being called Lance’s boyfriend but then he remembered it was all part of the game.

“It’s for your own good,” Keith smiled and Lance shook his head, sinking lower in his seat.

“I cannot believe this.”

Keith laughed briefly before standing up, taking his plate. “You poor thing.”

“I suffer. I do.”

“Clearly,” and Keith made his way back into the kitchen, dumping the plate in trash, along with the plastic utensils. He turned to leave when all of sudden, Lance called out.

“Hey, we forgot the fortune cookies!” At that, Keith had to go back.

Four sat in a small wax-paper bag with unused soy sauce packets and Keith watched as Lance took one out, breaking it open. He unfurled the fortune and read it, a displeased look on his face. “What does it say?” Keith was curious as he moved closer.

“It says,” he groaned, “‘Eat your fruits and vegetables to strengthen your health.’”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.” He glared at the strip of paper. “ _Don’t tell me what to do_ ,” he said pointedly to the rectangle strip of paper like wanted to fight it. Everything about it was truly something to behold.

“That doesn’t sound like a fortune at all.”

“I know, right?!”

It was then that Keith sat down at the head of the table where Hunk had been and he removed a cookie for himself out of the bag. He broke it in half and set down one half on the table while he pulled the fortune from its confines. He held it and his eyes ran over it and he tried his best not to viscerally react to the ten words printed in fine print on crisp white paper.

 

_ Don’t let what’s sitting in front of you get away. _

 

Lance’s voice broke in and asked, “What does it say?” Keith looked at his paper, then at Lance, and then back at his paper again.

“Nothing.”

“That’s not fair. I showed you mine.” Lance said. “Now you definitely need to show me yours.”

He looked at Keith and Keith felt his face grow immensely hot. There was no way he could show him his. Lance’s look came off strangely serious and Keith regretted everything leading up to it.

“Keith, show me.” He whined at this point and Keith cursed his god for not making him come up with a lie in the first place. As he opened his mouth to say no, his brain offered a different course of action and without a second thought, Keith put the paper in his mouth and began chewing. “Dude, what the hell?”

Keith had to fight past the bitterness of paper and ink as he chewed until he could swallow it. Once the evidence had been destroyed, he acted like nothing had happened. 

“Okay but never do that again,” Lance said, looking strangely concerned, as he stood up, taking his plate to throw it away. Once he was back in the kitchen, Keith sighed tried to forget the words printed on the paper but they were burned into his mind.

“No fucking way,” he said under his breath, as Lance came back over.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked.

“Just fine.” Lying through his teeth did not make Keith feel better.

“Well, okay, whatever you say. I’m gonna go do some things so, see you at dinner, I guess.”

“I’d better not find you cooking again.” Keith smiled.

“You might and you might not,” Lance shrugged and then walked out of the dining room, leaving Keith alone with containers of mostly eaten chinese food. As Lance did earlier, he glared at the fortune cookies remaining.

“ _Don’t tell me what to do_ ,” he said to himself, and he meant it, too.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am a knife pun enthusiast and i found three very knife opportunities to showcase this.
> 
> also, that fortune lance got? i actually did receive that very fortune, word for word.
> 
> if you enjoyed this installation, it'd be cool for you to holla at me @ bluethisisforyou on tumblr!


	3. they shared hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At that point, Hunk walked in, looking refreshed. “Good morning everyone! What would you guys like for breakfast?”
> 
> Pidge answered immediately. “Vodka on the rocks.”
> 
> “Pidge, it’s breakfast.”
> 
> They sighed. “And a piece of toast.”

 

Every meal after was an affair.

Not only did they all involve strange and funny antics, horrible puns, and threats of murder, but Keith honestly still thought about the fortune at very inopportune moments. Lance could deliver a pun so atrocious and still wear a smile after that made Keith think of ten very simple words.

But everything about his situation was not simple.

Despite the whole “dating” thing still not announced to the media, at least for a few more days, Keith Kogane, who double majored in art and history, still had no idea of the complete layout of the actor’s home. No one had bothered to give him a tour and he didn’t want to have to ask. It had been a few days and he still hadn’t taken a shower of any sort. He was filthy but he figured he would get around to it if he ever found the shower.

And it came down to it that the one person he definitely did want directions from eventually found out about the lax state of his hygiene. It was late at night and Keith found himself wandering down the dark hall to the bathroom, when he ran into someone, who fucking kicked him in the shin.

Keith went down but not before taking the person with him, who ended up landing on top of him.

“Ow, what the fuck!” And Keith recognized the voice instantly. 

“Lance.”

“Keith.” 

Lance’s face was over Keith’s shoulder and as Lance put his hands on the side of Keith’s arms to push himself, he froze. “Keith.”

“What?”

“Full offense, you smell like shit.” 

“You’re one to talk-” and then he shut his mouth as Lance pushed himself up, applying brief pressure to his lower half. Lance had held some of Keith’s hair between his fingertips, sliding it back and forth. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Dude, your hair’s really greasy.” Everything about the dark heightened Keith’s instincts. “When’s the last time you showered?”

“It’s been a few days.” And then Lance scrambled to get off of Keith and get back to a standing position. Once Lance was off him, Keith felt like he could breathe again. After a few seconds, he propped himself up by his elbows. 

“Why haven’t you taken a shower?”

“Just haven’t,” Keith scoffed, sitting up. “It’s not like it’s a big deal, L-”

“Or could it be that you don’t know where it is.” A familiar tone that was almost always was accompanied with a smug grin cut through the air.

“That’s not it.” And Keith stood up.

“Okay, then take me to where the shower is.”

“Fine. I will.” And Keith turned around as Lance cleared his throat behind him. “What is it?” Keith sounded in an annoyed tone.

“Hold this,” Lance said and Keith felt fingers intertwine with his. His eyes widened and he honestly sputtered.

“Lance, w-w-what,”

“Don’t worry, it’s practice. Now, take me to the shower.” Keith tried not to let his body act in any way that would betray his mixed feelings. And so he walked, not hesitant in any of his movements until Lance squeezed his hand and stopped, causing Keith to quit it. “We’re literally back right where we started.” And then he laughed as he disentangled his fingers from Keith’s. The loss of touch surprised Keith, just a little bit, and the darkness of the halls amplified each and every feeling. “Follow me, prideful.”

“You-”

“Come on. I can’t have you walking around for another minute smelling like you do.” Then he grabbed Keith’s hand again and Keith honestly couldn’t say anything as he was led around in the dark. A few minutes later, they entered a room and Lance turned the light on.

As Keith’s eyes adjusted, he noticed that Lance was shirtless in front of him.

“Why are you naked?!” Keith practically screeched, rapidly removing his hand from Lance’s hold. 

“I’m not.” Lance just looked at him. “I’m wearing pants, in case you hadn’t noticed.” He gestured at his legs and then smirked. “But clearly, you didn’t notice because you were staring.”

“Where’s the shower Lance.”

“Someone’s eager.”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish.” And Lance walked off as Keith massaged his temples with his fingers. He eventually followed after convincing himself that murder was bad and eventually found that he was in a rather large bedroom area and he couldn’t help but take it all in.

As Keith entered the door Lance went through, he went, “Whose room was that?”

“Mine.”

“Why am I using your shower.” Keith took in the blue and white tiled bathroom and the shower and the bath.

“Well, the other two are attached to Pidge and Hunk’s rooms and, if you’ve picked up enough already, waking up Pidge in the middle of the night means certain death.”

“Yeah but what about Hunk?” He watched himself in front of the huge mirror that spanned three sinks and there was a lot of product lining the illuminated outline of the room. 

“Believe it or not, Hunk actually will destroy you.”

“Really.” Keith looked at Lance in the doorway.

“In fact, I’m honestly more afraid of Hunk than of Pidge.”

“That’s...the strangest thing I’ve heard here.”

“He’s a really sweet guy but everyone has negative emotions to express.”

“That’s understandable.” And silence pervaded for a few minutes. Keith felt a strand of his hair between his fingertips and then addressed Lance once more. “Alright, I’m gonna get undressed now.” And Keith, without thinking, crossed his arms in front of him and he lifted the hem of his shirt, raising it enough to show his stomach when he realized Lance was still there. “Do you mind?”

“No.” Lance smiled a very different smile, eyes half lidded, and Keith felt like he was dreaming. It was too late, early, whatever it was for this.

“Get out.”

And Lance closed the door behind him before taking his sweet time leaving. Keith sighed and slipped off his shirt, making his way over to the shower, and as he looked at the fucking shower knobs and all the struggle of figuring out a new shower crashed onto his shoulders all at once. “Fuck,” he muttered, as he fiddled with the shower knobs. “Fucking Lance and his stupid-”

“My stupid what?”

“Why don’t you knock?!” And Keith turned to Lance, who made his way closer. 

“Is someone having trouble?” Lance cocked his head, his tone mocking.

“No, not at all.”

“Relax. Let me help.” Lance straightened his head. “Just say please.”

“I’d rather die.”

“And I’d rather not have you stink.”

“I’m fine with smelling bad, if it means that it won’t please you.”

“You said please.”

“Wrong context, asshole.” Lance sighed and moved past Keith as he did something within seconds and the water began to shower down.

“You’re welcome,” Lance tilted his chin into folded hands.

“Please leave.”

“The thanks I get around here,” mumbled Lance as he turned around and Keith briefly watched the planes of Lance’s back move as he walked out the door, shutting it. After Keith made sure Lance wasn’t going to pop in by waiting a couple minutes, he removed the rest of his clothes and he had to admit, letting the water run down his body felt kind of good.

He let the water drench his hair and he ran his fingers through it, trying not to let his mind wander places it shouldn’t. And he succeeded, as he finished washing the shampoo out and he let the water run, since he didn’t know how to turn it off.

As he stepped out, looked around for a towel but there wasn’t one to be seen. Keith ground his teeth together as he simply put his clothes back on, hair dripping wet, and he opened the bathroom door to find Lance sitting on his bed. He turned his head, a smug smile became a look of horror and Keith’s body was prepared to move forward but Lance stopped.

“Do not cross into this room. You’re soaking wet.”

“There wasn’t a towel.” Keith shrugged. “Also, the shower’s still on.”

“Okay, just...just don’t come into my room.” Lance moved pushed Keith back into the bathroom and he moved past, shutting the shower off. He then went to a cupboard that was practically camouflaged and he pulled out a baby blue towel. “Here.” Keith met Lance and went to take the towel but Lance draped it around Keith’s shoulders, which surprised him again. Lance patted him mindlessly and then he picked the towel up and placed it on Keith’s head. 

And then he rubbed it against his hair viciously. “Lance, what the he-”

“There,” and he slid the towel back onto Keith’s shoulders. “It’ll be quicker when it dries.” And Keith turned to look in the mirror to see his hair was no longer in thick dark sections but was now stringy and separated and it framed his face surprisingly well.

“Oh, okay.”

“You know you can say thank you, right? It’s not like it’ll kill you.” Lance placed his hands on his narrow hips and Keith let his eyes flutter shut. He took a breath and then opened his eyes.

“No, but it’ll definitely make my life harder.”

“Whatever, man,” and Lance left, leaving Keith to pat himself down more with the incredibly soft towel. He was honestly thrown off when he mostly dried himself off and went back into Lance’s room, still seeing that it was still dark outside. 

“What time is it?”

“Time for you to-”

“Shove it.” Keith spat, running a finger through his hair, smoothing it back. He looked around the room to find an out of place alarm clock and found that it almost one in the morning. “Holy shit.”

“What?”

“It’s one!”

“Why are you so shocked by this? You’re a college student.”

“Right,” Keith said dumbly. 

“Well, then, let’s go?”

“Go where?” And then Keith remembered. “Don’t say a w-”

“Look, I’m touched you want to stay but I need my beauty sleep so, you know, follow me.” Keith muttered something under his breath and he reached out to take Lance’s hand, taking it exactly as Lance turned on the flashlight on his phone.

“There we-” He froze after Keith grabbed his hand and he turned his head around. “Um, Keith-”

“Lance, say something and I will hurt you,” Keith said, as he pulled his hand away with force.

“If you want to hold hands that badly-”

“I just figure that’s- Please, shut up.”

“You’re going to have to wait until we do the whole daytime dating thing.” Lance explained rather plainly and Keith restrained himself from raising an eyebrow. “Now let’s go.”

The walk back gave Keith too much to think about. Every turn closer made him think, think, think and he grasped at the towel with the hand Lance had held only twenty minutes earlier. He gripped the towel and silently followed Lance back to his room.

“Alright, here you are,” Lance opened a door and familiar silhouettes became visible from the reaching light of Lance’s phone. 

“Ah, goodnight,” Keith managed as he moved past Lance.

“Night,” and Lance left, leaving Keith to fall face down on his bed.

He didn’t fall asleep until 2:37 a.m.

And surprisingly, he woke up at a normalish time to only make his way back to the dining room to find Pidge sitting at the table, typing away on their computer at seven in the morning. “Hey, morning,” Keith said as he came closer to where Pidge sat.

“Morning,” they looked briefly and then concentrated on the screen once more. A few seconds later and they paused to drink out of their green coffee mug.

Keith sat down, not sure of what to do, and then he remembered his job. “Hey, Pidge, when can I work?”

“Oh, right, that,” and they set down their cup. “Look, we’re going to go official with the relationship tomorrow, since I scheduled a press conference. But, um, I guess you could work tonight if you wanted to.” Pidge’s glasses flashed and then they looked directly at Keith. “But one condition.”

“Um, what?”

“Take Lance with you.”

“Pidge-”

“Sorry, it’s either that or stay here. Keith, I need what’s called a break.”

“But won’t it be a problem, you know, since he’s...famous, I guess.”

“Keith, I frequent Altea. It’s a good bar and that’s why it’s a popular hotspot for those in the entertainment business. So, no problem.” Pidge adjusted their glasses and continued typing effortlessly. 

“How are we going to get there?” Keith spoke and noticed the way his hair curled in tendrils from being wet the night before.

“Limo, I guess. Also, don’t let that fucker flirt. If he’s caught doing anything that jeopardizes your sound relationship, well, then do something and don’t, for the love of god, let him drink.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” came from behind and Keith froze.

“You’re up early. That’s a surprise,” Pidge muttered, closing their laptop.

“What can I say? I was hungry.” The sound of footsteps trailed and things could be heard moving about in the kitchen. A couple minutes later, Lance came back with a couple slices of watermelon on a plate and small container of chili flakes. He sat down right next to Keith and began eating- and rather noisily, at that.

“Could you maybe not?” Pidge asked.

“You’re not my mom.”

“I thank god everyday that I’m not.”

“Yeah, you look like you’re twelve.”

Pidge made eye contact with Keith and without breaking contact, reached into their pants pocket and withdrew a silver flask, unscrewed it, and poured actual liquor in their coffee. They set the flask down and drank like there was no tomorrow.

They set the mug down once they were done.

“Wow, coffee and alcohol? You’re really gonna be twelve forever-”

“If the side effect of me using alcohol to deal with you results with me looking forever twelve, so be it.”

“Rude. I am a joy to work with.”

“Lance, it’s too early for jokes.” 

At that point, Lance sprinkled chili flakes on his remaining watermelon slice and bit into it, wincing. “Man, this fruit is cold. Do you have a blanket with you?”

“Why the fuck do you need a blanket and why would I-”

“Well, because, the watermelon, well, it’s got a little bit of a _chili_.”

At that point, Hunk walked in, looking refreshed. “Good morning everyone! What would you guys like for breakfast?”

Pidge answered immediately. “Vodka on the rocks.”

“Pidge, it’s breakfast.”

They sighed. “And a piece of toast.”

Lance was busy snickering at his horrendous pun and Keith couldn’t help but think it was purely stupid. Seeing Pidge’s face after Lance finished was like watching someone physically die and turn to dust but all in the way their eyes glazed over. Keith felt kind of bad.

“And what about you, Keith?”

“Oh, uh, some, uh, eggs and bacon would be good.”

“Good pick,” Hunk smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

And then the three at the table sat there, wondering what the day was going to hold.

“Oh, Lance, by the way, Keith’s gonna take you out tonight.”

“On a date?” Lance looked at Keith.

Keith flushed. “No, no. I’m starting at Altea and, well, it’s just so Pidge can take a break.”

“Ah, so they want me to _cut_ them a break?”

“Lance, one day, someone’s gonna hold a knife to your shit eating face.” Pidge said, unapologetically.

“If you really need a break, well, then, I guess I can be _knife_.”

Pidge stood up and left to go join Hunk in the kitchen.

“Pidge is probably right, you know,” Keith said, turning to face Lance as he bit into his watermelon slice. 

“Eh, probably, but no way am I going to let Pidge know that,” and he smiled. It was one of those things that Keith thought he’d never see in the morning, a toothy kind of grin, like that of a child.

“I see,” and Keith ran a finger through his hair, gently disentangling it as he looked out the windows that made up the wall opposite them and he froze. “Is that...a pool?”

“Dude, you’ve been here for like a week.”

“Yeah, well, I just noticed it.”

“Sweetie, we’ve had like ten meals here.”

“Did you just call me sweetie?” Keith blinked and then looked at Lance.

“Yeah, ironically.” Lance made a jerky kind of gesture with his hands to emphasize how stupid Keith was being. “Dude.”

“I’m not talking to you.”

“Fine, then I’ll just talk to myself, since no one appreciates me!” He looked away and then started speaking, “So Lance, how ‘s life? Oh you know, it’s great, since I’m so good looking. Oh, that’s nice. I know, right? Of course I know, I’m you. Oh, silly me. Oh you. I’m amazing. We really are, aren’t we?” Keith simply stared out the window, pressing his hands to their ears, hoping the hair would block most of it out as he waited for somebody, anybody to return.

It was a painful seven minutes in hell before both Hunk and Pidge returned with plates of food.

“Oh thank god,” Keith murmured, and he let his hands drop from his ears. “You’re back.”

“And we bring food,” Hunk set down a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Keith and he almost cried.

“You have saved me. Thank you."

“No problem,” Pidge cut in, sitting down with eggs, bacon, and toast, sans vodka on the rocks. “We all need to help each other out in this house against the common enemy.”

“I wish you all wouldn’t talk like I’m not sitting right here. Well, when I say all, I don’t mean Hunk.” Lance gave Pidge a dirty look and a watered down version to Keith. After that, he positively beamed at Hunk. “I love you, man.”

“Love you, too,” and Hunk smiled before eating. Keith had to admit the display was rather cute and suddenly seeing Hunk eat reminded him to take a bite. The food was worth the seven minutes in hell.

“Hunk, this is amazing! Are you a professional chef?”

“No, I’m just a man of many talents.”

“Wow, what an amazing friend you have. I’m stunned.” Keith looked at Lance.

“Yeah, Keith’s right. Why is Hunk friends with a piece of shit like you?”

“Pidge, Hunk and I have been friends since the fourth grade.”

“He’s my best friend,” Hunk added. 

“I’m sorry,” Pidge responded.

“Pidge,” Hunk said in a slanted, warning tone and Pidge merely shrugged. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. Even though he has his quirks, I wouldn’t have grown up with anyone else. Right, Lance?”

“Right,” Lance choked, his face signaling that he was about to cry.

“Hunk, I’m done. I’m going to get my drink and you can’t stop me.” Pidge stood up and then grabbed their plate of food. “In fact, you guys eat without me.”

“You’re so...cold hearted,” came from Lance.

“Only towards you, you dabber,” and Pidge left the dining room.

“I still can’t believe you dab in your sleep,” Hunk admitted.

“I do not! That little bastard must’ve photoshopped me doing it.”

“But, I’ll have to admit, it’s better than when you would talk in your sleep.”

“He did?” Keith asked, after he finished chewing.

“Oh yeah. He used to sleep over at my house a lot and he would literally have full conversations in his sleep.”

“You’re joking.”

“ _Hunk_.”

“But sadly, a notebook of all the things he said I made went missing the day before freshman year.”

“I think I know what happened.”

“As do I, Keith.”

“I can’t believe all this is happening to me because I kissed you.” He pointed blatantly at Keith, who raised both his eyebrows.

“I didn’t ask you to!” Keith moved closer, practically yelling.

“Yeah, well, you kissed me back!” And Lance’s face moved closer.

“ _I did not_!” 

“ _Did too_!” They practically yelled in each other’s faces over breakfast and Hunk simply asked a question.

“So, you guys met through a phone call?” They stopped, turning their heads to look at Hunk and then Lance moved back, bumping the side of his fist into his palm.

“Exactly, this whole situation was all Pidge’s fault!” 

Hunk gave Lance a slight look of distaste and then pointed at Keith with his fork. “You’re a college student, right?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“What school?”

“UC Berkeley,” Keith allowed, a small sense of pride flourishing in his chest. “I just finished my third year.”

“Wow, nice.” Hunk gave him a thumbs up and Keith felt good. “What are you studying in?”

“Art and history, not art history. Double majoring,” he added, just in case.

“Hey, Lance, he’s an art major! That’s really cool. Lance's sister was an art major.”

“Yeah, good luck paying the bills,” Lance scoffed.

“But I have you to do that for me, _don’t I_?” And Keith smirked, tilting his head as he looked at Lance. Hunk whistled lowly in the background and Lance honest to god looked surprised at the way Keith shut him up. He turned away, leaving Lance slightly red. “Anyways, yeah, I really love what I do.”

“Are you into all art, or just certain things?”

“I draw but I like painting the most.”

“Fascinating.” Hunk scooped the last of his food off his plate and noticed Lance still sitting frozen. “Keith, why don’t we go to the kitchen so we can clean up and talk some more?”

“Sounds like a plan,” and Keith picked up his plate after he stood up. Their talk faded as they walked away and disappeared and Lance sat there, just the slightest bit turned on.

“Holy fuck,” he whispered and the rest of the daytime flew by without any other incident of the like. 

Everyone pretty much avoided the other until meals or generally just didn’t stick together long. 

And then as the dinner rolled around, Keith threw on his bar tending clothes and Lance stopped him before he could step out the front door. “Have those clothes been washed at all?”

“No, but they smell fi-”

“Come with me.” And for some reason, Keith went. They went back to Lance’s room and he opened drawers and went through his closet and produced a very casual outfit of jeans and white t shirt. “Put these on."

“I’m not wearing your clothes-”

“Look, I know your legs are shorter than mine but I won’t have you stepping into Altea with the only clothes you brought with you.”

“You guys never gave me a chance to pack!”

“I called the day before, asshole, now put the clothes on and we’ll go shopping later.”

“Lance-”

“Just do it.” Keith rolled his eyes and he grabbed the clothes, going into Lance’s bathroom. The t-shirt was plain but it was soft and worn out and the jeans had to be rolled up. Keith grumbled as he did so. He left his old outfit on the floor and flung open the door. “You hap-”

“Dude,” Lance said as he let his shirt fall over his torso. “Dude.”

“Why do you always have to be half-naked?!”

“It’s nice, and plus, your timing is just bad.” Lance slid on a familiar pine green jacket and he straightened out the creases in his shirt. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

The limo ride there actually consisted of Lance taking about several calls from people Keith didn’t know and he talked for a good ten minutes with each one. So Keith rolled down the window and rested his arms on it and rested his head on his forearms. The warm wind actually felt good as he watched the cars pass by and then the telltale terrain of the city became more apparent, the blue of the sky fading into orange and then green. Traffic became prominent and it was amazing to see so many people walking on the sidewalks, shopping and heading out to dinner. And a lot of heads turned upon seeing the limo with the unknown person inside, and Keith looked away when people looked at him.

“Yes, okay, I will talk to Pidge about that. Bye.” Lance finally hung up and Keith turned his head slightly to look at Lance. The actor sighed and ran a hand through his hair and as he disentangled his fingers, he caught Keith looking at him. He smirked and Keith slowly looked back out the window. “Don’t think I didn’t see that, Kogane. You were looking. But of course, I don’t blame you. I am gorgeous.”

“I’m praying for Pidge the next chance I get.”

“What was that?”

“Anyways, Lance, remember, Pidge said no flirting or drinking.”

“Um, we’re going to a bar. Plus, Pidge can’t tell me what to do. And I can flirt as I please.”

“You do know we’re announcing the relationship tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Do you really think Pidge wants to deal with any stupid decisions you might make? If you’re flirting, then you’re going to be seen as disloyal because you literally kissed me like three weeks ago.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” and he winked, causing Keith to roll his eyes. The car ride lasted for twenty more minutes before the limo pulled into a parking structure and they drove to the very top of the seven story concrete area.

Stepping out of the limo felt a little cool despite the impending warmth of summer as the sun set started setting in the distance. Lights began joining the paneled glass of buildings in shining and Keith could hear the sights and numerous sounds of the city below. “Follow me,” Lance motioned with his hand and he began walking. Keith followed and while he did, he instinctively put his hair up.

Strangely enough, they came to a bridge and they crossed it to a play on a terrace, boxed plants lining the white fences. People didn’t really sit at the white tables; most of them stood, chatting, laughing, and Keith had never seen so many attractive people in one place at once. He tried not to stare or let his eyes linger as he followed Lance in through glass doors and a flush of cold made Keith shiver as he entered the bar.

Beautiful people in expensive clothes mainly were inside, and they glowed. The way the windows caught the fading sunlight made the area glow blue and illuminated the faintest touch of green against exposed arms and legs. Men were dressed casually, but in clothes that Keith knew were expensive despite the basic designs. Women were dressed a little more nicely, in dresses and skirts and pantsuits with heels and jewelry that also caught the light fading into the night. 

Everything about Altea was very softly focused and Keith almost lost himself when he was called back to why he was there.

“Keith, this is Mary Avalos,” Lance said, gesturing to a woman who made her way out from the bar. “She’s in charge.” Keith received a smiled from the woman whose blonde hair was in a ponytail.

“And you must be Keith. Liza said you were and excellent worker.” She held out her hand and Keith shook it. “You’re pretty cute, too!”

“Oh, wow, thank you,” Keith smiled evenly and let go of her hand.

“No problem. Now, let’s go get you a uniform. Follow me.” And she took off, turning the corner end of the bar.

“Lance,” Keith said, as the actor was already slipping away.

“Yes?”

“Behave,” Keith gave him a look and he followed the path Mary took, not bothering to see how or if Lance reacted. The chatter faded as he entered doors leading to the back and once he changed, he took a deep breath. And then, he allowed himself a smile. It was time.

Getting behind a bar again calmed Keith’s senses. The music that played was mellow, relaxing as a man’s voice sang. As he rested his hands behind his back, he decidedly scanned the room, a little irritated when he couldn’t locate Lance. But then he saw a crowd of people and he caught a familiar glimpse of green and he just prayed to god Lance hadn’t done anything stupid.

“Hey, barkeep?” A recently familiar voice he’d heard made him turn his head right in front of him. “Can I order?” A beautiful smile was painted on a man so beautiful Keith almost couldn’t talk. He had a handsome face, a scar that stretched over the bridge of his nose. His black hair was shorn short, a sort of undercut, and strangely, a tuft of white hair sat in the middle of his forehead.

“Sure,” Keith said, managing to stay composed, almost not catching the man’s order because he was watching the squareness of his jaw move while he talked. He never wanted to make a drink more slowly but at the same time, never did he want to make a drink more quickly, either. Once he finished, he slid it over to the man. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” and he smiled before taking his drink and disappearing outside.

Keith almost didn’t hear the next person who wanted to order because he was too busy staring. The sun had gone down at that point and the bar glowed blue and green in the dark, no longer because of the windows, and Keith made ten drinks within the span of thirty minutes. 

When he finished a vodka on the rocks, he smiled, because he remembered Pidge.

And as he made drinks, he began to notice that one person kept coming back, a beautiful and tall woman, and after the fourth very strong drink, Keith began to grow suspicious, since she did not seem in anyway tipsy. He told the other bartender he had to go to the bathroom and as he exited from behind the bar, there was a cheering coming from terrace outside. Keith weaved through people and opened the glass doors, hearing a very familiar voice and a warm breeze brought with it the chords of a guitar. 

“Okay, okay, give me a second.” Keith raised his eyebrows as a couple rows of bodies blocked him and he could distinctly hear the very weird warm note in Lance Mcclain voice, accompanied by practice strums. There was laughter and then the sounds below faded as the strings were played in a relaxing manner and then a voice joined it.

Keith couldn’t believe his ears. He excused himself as he made his way to the front, listening as he moved.

When he got to the front, he saw, with his own two eyes, Lance playing the guitar and singing in Spanish. Keith felt his mouth go dry and then he put his face in his hands when he saw four glasses sitting at his feet and the beautiful tall woman standing right next to him.

_Shit_.

As much as he knew he was in trouble, he couldn’t help but listen.

It was intoxicating, and even more so when Lance stopped to laugh, as he kept playing, as he strove to remember the words. He sang and Keith honest to god listened.

 

_ Para tu amor lo tengo todo _

_ Lo tengo todo y lo que no tengo también _

_ Lo conseguiré _

_ Para tu amor que es mi tesoro _

_ Tengo mi vida toda entera a tus pies _

 

People laughed slightly but they enjoyed it nonetheless and once the song finished, Keith kind of wished Lance would’ve kept playing. But once he finished and people raised their glasses, Lance set the guitar down and stood up, taking a bow. He seemed a little unstable and a little flushed in the face and at that point, Keith knew he had to step in.

As he approached Lance, he felt his heart flutter just a tiny bit. “Lance. I think you’ve had enough to drink-”

“What’d you think?” He looked at Keith in earnest, like a puppy.

“It was...nice.” Keith regretted not having better diction so he made up for it with a warm smile. “Now, let’s-” As he turned away, Lance caught his arm and pulled Keith towards him. “Lance, what’re you doi-” But it was too late. Lance had wrapped one arm around Keith’s neck and he pressed a kiss to his cheek. Once Lance stopped, he pulled away into a grin. Keith’s eyes were wide and then remembered where they were and apparently, that was a factor in Lance’s drunken state of mind.

“Hey, everyone, this is my boyfriend, Keith!” Everyone stared at first and then a few of them started on their way over to say something. The beautiful woman made her way back inside and Keith shut his eyes, hard. Pidge was going to die.

“Lance, we have to go.”

“Mmm why?” And he fucking booped Keith on the noise, grinning.

But Keith didn’t have answer as he tugged Lance by the arm, away from Altea, back over the bridge, and back into the limo. “Take us back, please,” he told the driver and his mind went blank until they got reached Lance’s house. “Thanks,” he offered and before he left, he also mentioned, “Don’t tell Pidge.” He turned. “Lance, let’s go.”

“Pero yo tengo sueño!”

“I don’t know what the fuck you said but we gotta get in and quietly.”

“Pero-” and Keith sighed as he put one of Lance’s arms around his shoulder so that he could hold him up as they made their way up to the large house in the dark. It was hard, since Lance hardly put any effort into using his legs and he was practically dead weight to Keith but he had to keep going and hopefully avoid running into Pidge. They made it inside and Lance was only muttering in Spanish as he nodded off and then snapped his head back up, and Keith shushed him the entire time.

Making their way around in the dark killed Keith and to be fairly honest, the only rooms he remembered the locations of were the dining room and the room he currently occupied. He wasn’t in the mood to go searching for Lance’s room in with Lance in the dark once again so he just took him the citrus colored room.

Keith groaned as he made the extra effort to take Lance to the second bed, the one farthest from the door. Once he let Lance fall onto the mattress, he rolled his shoulders, to ease some of the tension building in his upper back. At that point, Lance was out and Keith didn’t care about anything, as he slipped off his shoes and then fell into his own bed, body happy to finally relax.

Keith woke up to sound of something hitting the floor at 3 in the morning. Groggily, he leaned over to see Lance pick himself off the floor, groaning, a hand to his head. “Dios mío.” He pressed his hand harder to his forehead. “Fuck.”

“Are you,” Keith yawned, “okay?”

Lance slowly looked over and then froze. “Are you real?”

“What?”

“Am I hallucinating?”

“Nope, I’m right here.” Keith sat up and blinked his eyes. “You’re hungover, huh?”

“Thank you, captain obvious.”

“No problem, asshole.”

“Don’t call me tha-” And then Lance bit down hard, clenching his teeth. “Ah, fuck.”

“You should drink some water.”

“Can you...go get it for me?”

And for some reason, seven minutes later, Lance had a glass of water he was drinking from and Keith was wide awake. Lance drank as earnestly as he could and Keith decided to lie on his back and look at the ceiling, hands behind his head. 

A couple minutes later, the glass was set down. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Keith eased into the bed and prepared to sleep when Lance surprised him by talking, which was strange in a context he experienced.

“Did I do anything...strange last night?”

“No, well, the guitar playing and the singing was unexpected.” He paused. “Also, you kind of kissed me on the cheek and told everyone on the terrace I was your boyfriend.”

“I didn’t.”

“You kind of did.”

“Well, pal, I’m sorry that your funeral’s coming soon.”

Keith sat up. “Excuse me?”

“Pidge told you not to let me do two things and you failed to keep me in line.”

“You are an adult and honestly, your funeral’s the one that’s happening soon.”

“We’ll see.” Keith looked incredulously at the actor sitting cross legged on the floor between the two beds.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Meh.”

“Who are you, even?”

“What do you mean?”

“I meet you and you’re an actor but you deliver really god awful puns but you can play the guitar and sing! I just, you, you confuse me!” Keith threw his hands up over his head. 

“I’m a mystery,” and Lance tried giving that flashy smile but he groaned, putting his hand on the edge of his bed as he pushed himself up. “And I’m going back to my room.”

“Please do!”

“I will!”

“Good!” And Lance stumbled, pausing to flip off Keith before he barely made his way out the door. “What an idiot!” Keith whispered, as he lied down once more, this time on his side, and then he couldn’t make sleep accept him again. “That idiot,” he muttered, and he decided to go eat something to calm his nerves. As he walked down the darkened halls, he ended up picking up his pace and then he ended up biting it.

He face planted, his lower legs bent and not touching the floor, instead being held up by something warm. Keith groaned, lifting his head off the floor, the feeling of his nose being recently smashed burned as he picked himself up, only to have what tripped him move, and he fell onto his butt. He growled and stuck his hand out, finding a body. “Lance,” he hissed. “Get the fuck up."

“I’m sleeping,” he muttered lazily and Keith had had enough. He stood up and picked Lance up by gripping his upper arm. 

“You idiot, why-” and then he felt it, warm, it ran from his nostril and the iron taste slid into the crevice between his lips. He lifted a free hand, shakily pressing his fingers to the substance, warmth he knew without having to touch. “I’m bleeding.”

“That’s nice,” came from whimsical kind of voice and Keith let Lance fall to floor. He pinched his nose and then grabbed Lance by the wrist, dragging him to the kitchen. Keith let go once they were good and he flipped on the light, heading straight for the sink.

After the water had washed away most of the blood, he tilted his head back and after doing that, he set his face straight and sighed. He turned to find Lance somehow still vaguely connected with sleep and Keith honestly did not see the use in returning to his room and trying to get some sleep. So, he sat down, back against a cabinet door, and he decided to let things run through his head.

He ran his fingers under his nose a couple times as he thought about Lance and his beautiful singing in Spanish and then he looked at Lance, passed out on the tiled floor, and he also saw the man who’d tripped him and given him a bloody nose so early, early in the morning.

And that’s when Keith realized just how early he’d been awake recently. 

And how it all had started with a phone call. 

Keith didn’t know why but something about those lines Lance had read so earnestly at 2:37 in the morning stayed with him. He didn’t remember them well but they tone with which they were delivered genuinely made Keith feel something he’s unsure of. Everything about it was sappy and awful but it was the best thing he’d heard from Lance so far, as far as talking went. Keith occasionally looked at Lance sleeping, as he tried to wonder what exactly Lance was like in a movie.

Keith smiled to himself as he silently hoped no knives were involved in future scripts. It was a funny thing to think about at four in the morning.

Time in the morning made Keith silently question everything about Lance Mcclain. His...beautiful face, his incessant puns, his good sense of fashion, his stupidity, his ability play guitar, his awful tendency to think he could do whatever he wanted, his singing voice, his dramaticness, and his...smile. 

Keith felt his breath hitch when Lance stirred and quickly got himself up. “Good morning,” he offered.

“Blaze it,” Lance went, and Keith didn’t even bother checking the time on the stove. It was a waste of time, just like how Keith had spent a good portion analyzing a sleeping Lance. He massaged his temples with his fingers and then started stretching the skin on his face. “Keith, don’t do that. You’ll mess up your face and oh dear lord, why is there blood in the sink?”

“You gave me a bloody nose, you shithead.”

“Watch your fucking language.”

“Watch where you sleep. Lying in the middle of a dark hall doesn’t constitute a bed.”

“It’s my house, I can sleep where I want.”

“I’m not talking to a man who automatically woke himself up at 4:20 in the morning.”

“Say what you will, but it’s a gift that took many years of training,” Lance said as he opened the refrigerator. 

“Please, stop,” Keith said, as he pushed himself off the floor.

“Hey, you want a juice pouch?”

“What are you, twe-”

“Yes or no?”

“Fine.” And then the both of them were sitting on the counter, drinking Capri suns. They drank in silence until Lance said something incredibly stupid and Keith accepted Lance’s ironic demand of “fight me”.

It was a strange series of hours shared between the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWkQbrfSvfs 
> 
> so i like to think lance knows juanes songs


	4. and a day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The ocean is home away from home. There’s just something about it that’s so unpredictable and it feeds my soul. Everything about the blue below gives me a reason to breathe.” Lance was looking at weathered leather bracelets on his wrist and he was smiling. Keith couldn’t breathe because he wished, briefly, that Lance could see the ocean in him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fourth letter cycle:  
> \- details  
> \- discourse  
> \- desire  
> \- date prep  
> \- date  
> \- day  
> \- desire  
> \- disappointment  
> \- dinner  
> \- drunken vulnerability to the night  
> and  
> \- daring to act

News traveled fast, very fast, and Pidge actually knew Lance had opened his big mouth the night before. He had received the information as a good morning text from one Takashi Shirogane and they honestly felt like firing themself on the spot as Lance McClain’s manager.

But they didn’t and they didn’t let on that they knew.

Breakfast almost ended in death, like usual, but other than that, Pidge had decided to let Lance suffer.

The press conference was at one and Lance made sure Keith took a fucking shower.

“Don’t make me take it with you, Kogane!”

“ _You wouldn’t_.”

“Do you wanna bet?” came from the other side of the bathroom door and Keith felt his skin tingle.

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“Then hurry up! I have a process to uphold!” Keith rolled his eyes and took a shower and as soon as he dressed and opened the door, Lance yanked him forward by his shirt and into his room. The actor rapidly shut the bathroom door behind him and Keith’s hair dripped after the momenatry quick act of being removed. He shrugged and then noticed it was 10:30 before he left Lance’s room.

And before he knew it, it was 12:15 and Pidge had sent Hunk to fetch Lance. When five minutes pissed, Pidge grumbled. “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” They took off and came back three minutes later, dragging Lance behind them and Hunk followed, laughing.

“Hey, Pidge, watch it!” Lance squirmed away and smoothed out any creases he had received from being literally dragged. “I’m am a walking masterpiece, and I-”

“Yeah, yeah. Walking masterpiece, my ass.”

“You’re just jealous,” and Lance ran a hand through his hair and while Keith hadn’t noticed anything different about Lance at first, he started to, as he stared longer. “Besides, it takes a lot of work to maintain this beauty.” His chocolate brown hair curled smally, cusping his cheekbones and his hair looked incredibly soft. Keith bit his lower lip, hating himself briefly for thinking he wanted to touch it. “It takes time, dedication, and most of all-”

“Lance, I really don’t care. Now that that’s settled, we have got to go or else we’re going to be late.”

“Those people can wait-” But Pidge just started walking and Hunk followed and Keith turned to Lance to watch him roll his eyes. “Incredible.” His eyes wandered over and he met Keith’s, his widening and Keith became the slightest bit fearful. Lance walked over and touched Keith’s hair, again, like it was nothing. The butterflies in Keith’s stomach were jealous that he could do it so, so-so easily. “Did you style your hair?” And then the butterflies vanished.

“I wish you wouldn’t touch me and then insult me.”

“Oh, so you want to be touched and then complimented?” Lance said lowly and Keith watched his life pass before his very eyes. “Then let me do your hair.”

Keith stilled and he shut his eyes, opening them. “Lance, we have to go-”

“This will only take a few minutes. Come with me.” And very casually, he grabbed Keith’s hand and Keith swore to himself not to overthink what was so simple and meaningless to Lance. Keith was led back to Lance’s bathroom and he felt a mix of emotions once Lance let go of his hand. “Now, how do you want it?”

“Down.”

“You’re no fun,” and then Lance took a strand near the front on the side and began braiding. Keith’s fingers unfurled from nervous fists and he watched Lance braid his hair in the mirror. He finished one side and then moved onto the other, focused on repeating the similar action. Once he was done, he let that braid fall. “Do you have a hair tie?”

“It broke,” Keith said, softly.

“Alright, then,” and to Keith’s surprise, he pulled open a drawer not too far away and there must’ve been hundreds of brightly colored hair ties and bobby pins and cute kinds of hair accessories. He watched and his breath hitched as Lance’s fingers sorted through them all as he found a red hair tie and a couple bobby pins. He placed the pins on the counter next to Keith and then put the hair tie in between his teeth. Lance then began gathering the upper portion of Keith’s hair, ignoring the braids and then once it was all good to him, he tied Keith’s hair half up.

It was familiarity but in someone else’s hands and Keith felt his shoulders relax. Lance grabbed the bobby pins and put them in his teeth, as he picked up one braid and pinned it at the bump of the ponytail and he did it again. He placed his hands on his hips when he was done and he looked in the mirror, proud. “There- now my boyfriend doesn’t look like a shiftless hobo.”

Keith felt his heart speed up at the mention of boyfriend but he soon put on a face. “Thanks, I guess.”

“No problem. You look good with your hair up. I just think the crowning effect with the braids makes it look nicer.” Lance smiled and Keith looked down at his hands. “Anyways, we should probably go.”

“I’d imagine Pidge is ready to kill you.” Keith took a breath before following Lance out of the bathroom, smiling. Lance took Keith’s hand again and he didn’t want to say anything just yet.

“Pidge has been ready since day one. If it weren’t for Hunk, then yours truly wouldn’t have lived this long.”

“You should send him flowers.”

“I should, shouldn’t I? Although, that’s a little gay-”

“You are literally holding my hand after you did my hair.” Lance laughed.

“What can I say, I’m gettin bi. As in I’m bisexual.”

Keith’s heart fluttered. “I kind of figured.”

“You mean you _bi-lieved_.” And Lance turned his head, another shit eating grin plastered on his face.

“Stop.”

“Never.” And they continued walking, and for some strange reason, neither of them let go of the other’s hand. Pidge did not appreciate the twenty minute wait when they could’ve left earlier and they straight up punched Lance Mcclain in the stomach. “Pidge, how could you?”

“Get in the car, Lance.” They all got in the limo and made their way back into the city Keith had glimpsed only the night before. Everything was different in the daytime, and a little hotter, since the summer heat was beginning to sink in and people were dressed accordingly as they walked on the sidewalks, walking slowly and with feigned ease.

The car stopped in front of a paneled building and exiting proved a little difficult, since at least ten people decided to approach Lance at an advanced pace and Lance began to look extremely smug and to Keith’s satisfaction, a good handful of them stopped to address Hunk and it was very sweet.

But a couple seemed adamant in meeting Lance and his dazzling smile was on like nothing before he was dragged once more by Pidge. “Sorry ladies, he has something to attend to and we’re already late.” Pidge smiled and then took off and Hunk apologized before following and Keith followed right behind but it was too late, he heard the silence and then the whispering.

Once they exited the elevator they’d entered at ground floor, Keith followed them until they came to a door at the end of the hall. Pidge began opening it and then he turned to Keith. “Come here.”

Curious, Keith obliged, and before he knew it, he was shoved into the room behind the door with Lance. They both stumbled in and were met with several seconds worth of cameras flashing and the room was silent, a hundred some writers and magazine affiliations sitting in the room, eager to know everything. Keith looked at them, wondering if it was enough to just go up there and wing it with details? What if their answers contrasted the others? What if the questions became more than just about the surface? What if-

And then Lance pressed his palm and against Keith’s and he intertwined his fingers with his. There a light squeeze, barely noticeable to the naked eye, but Keith felt it, and it told him to relax. But it was hard to rid oneself of an onslaught of worry just like that. However, it did get the slightest bit easier to breathe as Lance led Keith up a few stairs to a platform with a table and two chairs behind it. There two microphones and that made Keith want to book it.

But he couldn’t and his presence was a promise as soon as he was seated next to Lance.

Then, of course, the questions did start.

“So, Mr. McClain, you let this leak last night but your manager says it’s been going on a couple months?” Keith stifled a laugh at the sound of someone addressing Lance as Mr.

“Right, yes, my boyfriend and I have been together happily for two months.”

“Lance, I heard that you’ve been together three months and I heard it directly from your manager, Pidge Gunderson.” Keith’s chest felt tight as he eyed Lance who almost let a look break across his face but he didn’t. Then Lance Mcclain smiled a reserved smile, different from the flashy one and the childlike grin, it was calm and Keith almost jumped when Lance found his hand and held it, hidden from the reporters.

“Ah, well, it’s hard to keep track when you’re so in love.” He looked warmly in Keith’s direction and he flushed slightly, a mantra of it’s all for show playing over and over in his head. When Lance turned his eyes out back to the rows of writers and photographers.

“Speaking of that, how did it all start? Keith, how did you end up dating a young, rising actor?” A brunette stood from her seat, pen poised, ready to take down all the details.

But that’s the thing. Keith didn’t have any. He ended up squeezing Lance’s hand really hard and Lance cut in, smiling, without showing any reaction to Keith’s touch. “Well, he’s kind of shy. But I can tell you everything. It was early Friday morning and I was out doing some surfing in Hawaii, because, you know, the earlier the better. The water was a little rough, honestly, and then as I was standing up, I saw someone flailing around and so, of course, I had to save this person. It was difficult getting to where he was and when I did, I had to dive deeper to get him and I was afraid he was gone when I rested him on my surfboard. But his chest was moving slightly and so I paddled as fast as I could back to shore. The sun was barely up and the water cold and it was straight out a scene from the little mermaid. I was over this guy and I was prepared to do cpr and everything, like, I mean, c’mon, this guy’s gorgeous,” and tilted his head in Keith’s direction and everything about that moment and those words lingered long after in Keith’s body. “And so anyways, I was about to when he came to and he was so cute, he didn’t know who I was.”

“Lance,” Keith whispered.

“Yeah, he asked me if I was an angel and then he smiled and that’s when I knew he was good boyfriend material, like my shirt here.” He pulled at his shirt and received some laughs and Keith looked at his shoes, embarrassed as all hell. The brunette sat back down after an affirmative nod and then Lance was asked about twenty three more questions before Pidge entered the room and declared the conference over, earning protests from the press and Pidge just ignored them as Keith and Lance stood up, and Keith let go of Lance’s hand, figuring Lance would’ve if he hadn’t.

The ride back was strangely peaceful and they decided to meet up for an early dinner.

Once everyone was seated with a plate of tacos, rice, and beans, that’s when Lance calmly asked Pidge to pass the salt.

“Mmm, Lance, I can’t pass you to yourself.”

“That’s hilarious, you little monster. Thanks for sabotaging the press conference by giving out varying information on me and Keith. I had to mcfucking lie my way through the whole thing!”

“Putting one of your few talents to good use, I see.”

“Why did you do this?”

“Why did you get drunk and flirt and ruin the whole introduction to this scheme?” Lance shrank back momentarily. Then he looked at Keith.

“Did you tell him?”

“No.”

“Then-”

“Let’s just say,” Pidge focused on putting the extra food into their taco, “that a little birdy by the name of Takashi-”

“Shiro?! That...that...incredibly handsome goody two-shoes tree trunk of a man.”

“You tried,” Hunk sounded from across Keith.

“He’s just so...perfect.” Lance drooped his head and Keith wondered what this Shiro might even look like. He ate as he imagined. “I cannot believe this.”

Hunk laughed and Pidge prepared to take a bite, their silence a sign that they'd won the discourse at dinner. Keith ate silently and indulged in the antics that followed. He smiled to himself and then an early dinner was done and everyone just kind of left to do their own thing.

But for some reason, Lance and Keith were never far apart.

“My story was pretty good, wasn’t it?” Lance stood in the doorway to Keith’s room and he rolled his eyes.

“Like that would ever happen,” Keith scoffed, fully on board with the fantasy Lance had presented flawlessly. But Lance didn’t need to fucking know that. He sat on his bed, looking at his phone, and he just stared at Lance.

“Say what you will, but it was good, especially after being pulled out of thin air.” Keith shrugged his shoulders and Lance sighed. “But of course you wouldn’t have appreciated it, Kogane.” Keith felt a pang in his chest but chose not to let conflict leave his lips.

“It was all just one big lie.”

“Everything except two things: one, you are gorgeous and I can’t figure how you do it because you’re a mess-”

“Insults again, huh?” Keith interrupted, as his heart felt touched at the compliment but of course, leave it to Lance to derail the meaning completely.

“-and I do surf. I love it, in fact.”

“You really surf?” Keith asked, the slightest bit intrigued, the slightest bit doubtful.

“Oh yeah!” Lance entered the room and sat down on the edge of Keith’s bed and Keith felt himself tense. “The ocean is home away from home. There’s just something about it that’s so unpredictable and it feeds my soul. Everything about the blue below gives me a reason to breathe.” Lance was looking at weathered leather bracelets on his wrist and he was smiling. Keith couldn’t breathe because he wished, briefly, that Lance could see the ocean in him. He set his phone down beside him and he put his face in his hands, trying to tell himself to knock it the fuck off. “Keith? Are you okay?” The mattress shifted and Keith breathed in, his body relieved that Lance was finally off the bed. He shut his eyes and removed his hands to find Lance sitting closer to him, in front of him.

“What are you doing?”

“Asking if you’re okay.” And he brought his face closer, trying to look Keith over and Keith sucked in a breath.

“I’m-I’m fine,” Keith squeaked and he immediately hated himself for not controlling the pitch of his voice. And that’s when Lance reached a hand out and Keith couldn’t move. He placed it on his forehead and the warmth of Lance’s palm stayed for what felt like forever. After he removed it, the touch lingered hotly and Keith couldn’t stop thinking.

“Well, you don’t seem to have a fever, which is good.” Lance smiled smally while looking at him. “Because Pidge thinks we should go out tomorrow, like, on a date. Give the world something more to talk about.”

“Like a...date.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“I was thinking we should go shopping so we can get you some clothes but we could go tonight and then do something else tomorrow. Any ideas? Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“What did you want to do?” Keith felt like he was dreaming.

“Well, I was thinking the beach or the aquarium or the ocean-”

“You really love the water, don’t you?”

“Well, I am sixty percent water.”

“Lance-”

“But those are my picks. You?” A thousand and one possibilities evaporated from Keith’s mind and he was left without anything to say as Lance looked at him. It was too much.

“Beach...beach is fine.” Lance smirked at that.

“You just want to see me shirtless, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Keith sighed and then he realized his mistake. He cursed his brain for not working and he immediately spoke to amend his mistake. “I mean no. I mean, fuck, Lance don’t think I said yes because that was a mis-” Lance just smiled and smiled and Keith did his best not to let his cheeks turn pink.

“Too late. No take backs.”

“You fucker.”

“So, my fake boyfriend likes the way I look.”

“Please leave.”

“Excuse you, we were discussing our date.”

“Discussion over.” Keith narrowed his eyes.

“Then do you want to practice?”

“Practice what?”

“Kissing,” and then Lance said the word so casually that Keith felt attacked.

“Why?” It gave Keith immense relief to answer simply without stuttering.

“Well, the photos people like sell to magazines usually involve kissing or hand holding and it seems we have the hand holding down, so, I think we should practice.” He shrugged and Keith had a little trouble hearing over the pounding of his heart in his ears. So he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Well, it would be bad if you continued your already in place streak of punching me after being kissed.”

“I never asked for you to do that!”

“And since we’ve been ‘together’ for a varying range of several months, we should have this down. Like as a casual thing.”

“You really are serious,” and Keith dug his fingers tighter into his upper arms.

“When am I not?”

“ _Have to you been to the meals in this house lately_?”

“That aside, it’s not like we’d be making out. Just like, you know, pecks.” Everything about having this conversation with Lance made Keith zone out for a second. He blinked a couple times and then pinched himself a few times to assure he wasn’t really dreaming. And he wasn’t, and the time floated by slowly as he stayed silent, the weight of not responding quickly amplifying. “What do you say?”

What the fuck was he supposed to say? He expected Lance to to just go for it, to do it already. There was a craving on Keith’s lips he wanted satisfied so it would go away and leave him the hell alone. “Alright,” he sighed, as if he didn’t care, as if it was him giving in. But really, he was getting what he wanted and he hated himself for it as he sat up, criss-crossing his legs in front of him.

Lance moved closer and then mirrored the way Keith was sitting. Their knees did not touch and Keith was thankful because that kind of close would’ve sent Keith over, in addition to the silent closeness that had been growing throughout the time they'd spent with one another.

Something about it was overwhelming, as Lance said, “Okay, here we go.” It was soft and Keith’s heart didn’t need that so he squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for Lance’s lips to press against his. The kiss came, the sensation faint, and left after a few seconds. Keith opened his eyes in dissatisfaction. “Did you kiss me?”

“Yes!”

“I didn’t feel it.” Keith had no idea where the boldness was stemming from. “Do it again.”

Lance did it again and for some reason, Keith pressed harder, anger welling inside him at the lack of presence. Lance withdrew from Keith’s lips smashing into his and brought his fingers to his lips. “That was a little aggressive.”

Keith couldn’t believe he was hearing that from the man who had kissed him even harder the first time they met. “You’re one to talk. Besides, your kisses aren’t convincing.”

“I am an actor who kisses on-screen and millions of people disagree. I kiss plenty convincing.”

“Then act like it.” Keith couldn’t believe himself. What was he saying?

And that’s when Lance leaned forward, pressing his hand to Keith’s face, as he kissed him tenderly and with conviction. It was easy to get lost in it and it was sweet in the way that made Keith want to smile into it. Everything about it was warm and thoroughly convincing but Keith didn’t get the chance to smile because Lance pulled away, brushing his thumb against Keith’s cheek before removing his hand. And then he tilted his head, smiling with a slightly raised eyebrow. “See? I’m convincing.”

Keith was praying the want he felt was not being reflected in his eyes. He also hoped his face didn’t look as hot as it felt. “Yeah, that’s enough.”

“We’re going to do great on our date tomorrow!” Lance got off the bed and he looked so...unaffected. “Do you want to borrow some of my clothes or do you want to go shopping?” Keith was trapped. If he borrowed clothes, he would be wearing Lance’s clothes and he couldn’t keep doing this to himself. But, on the other hand, if he went out with Lance, he wouldn’t be able to function properly.

“I’m not really feeling up to go out shopping. I’ll just borrow.” It took everything in Keith to maintain eye contact. Lance, of course, accused Keith of liking him and Keith just gave him a look as Lance walked out the door, and Keith sat wide eyed for a second. He then reached behind him without looking and patted around before he grabbed a pillow, proceeding to scream into it for a bit.

It was a long night that followed.

Keith felt like death after he forced himself to sleep for two hours before he was woken up to eat breakfast. He decided that only coffee would save him and he was tempted to take the offer of alcohol from Pidge, especially since Lance seemed extra insulting that morning. But he declined.

“You look like shit, Keith.”

“You are a piece of shit,” Keith muttered, before he drank from his mug.

“And at last, he’s seen the light,” Pidge praised and Hunk shook his head.

“It doesn’t look like he’s seen the light. He looks like a vampire with that ashy complexion.” Lance pointed his fork out in front of him. “Hey, bat boy, this look isn't going to fly on our date.”

Keith set his mug down. “Pidge, I changed my mind.” Lance’s manager responded by opening their flask and before they poured, Lance knocked the thing away from Keith’s cup. Everyone watched it fly and liquor soaked into the carpet.

“Well, my coping method is gone so that means I’m gone.” Pidge left and Keith bitterly drank his coffee. Lance berating his appearance incessantly was starting to give him a headache and he set his cup down, rubbing at his temples.

“Lance, give him a break.” Keith silently thanked Hunk but he knew it was futile.

“This is just my way of letting him know that I’m cleaning him up.”

“We. are. going. to. the. beach.” Each word was strained.

“Waterproof makeup, Keith. Nice try.”

“Just try and get me to do it.” His tone of voice was not friendly as he looked at Lance of of the corner of his eyes. When Lance stood up, he didn’t know what he was expecting. Especially not when Lance grabbed Keith by the waist and draped him over his shoulder. “Lance.” A warning Lance ignored as he carried Keith back to his room and Keith kicked first but his legs would not go straight so he resorted to pinching Lance in the back and using his fists and at one point, Keith considered pinching Lance’s ass just so he would let go in surprise but that would only make Keith’s life so much harder to live.

Once they were in Lance’s bathroom, Keith was set down, and he was not happy about it. “Don’t you ever carry me like that again.” Lance being Lance ignored Keith’s words as he searched around the bathroom for things, picking up cosmetics and either taking them or setting them back down. “Lance.” And after thirty more seconds, Lance came over with products Keith could not name and he set them down on the counter. And then, he patted the spot next to the makeup.

“Sit.”

Keith grumbled and thought about running away but the coffee, unfortunately, hadn’t kicked in yet. So he hoisted himself up on the counter next to the items Lance had gathered. He rolled his eyes as he rested his palms against the cool surface. That’s when Lance’s hand came up under Keith’s chin and lifted Keith’s face as level as Lance could. His thumb did nothing but sit on Keith’s chin and he tilted Keith’s head right, then left, and then right back at him. “Are you done?” Keith said and Lance withdrew his hand a few seconds after.

“Just had to really get a good look.” And then Lance pushed a headband towards Keith’s face and then set it properly in his hair, so that his thick bangs were pushed back. “Wow, you look cute even with your hair pushed back. Who knew.”

“No one because I don’t wear th-”

“Relax, it’s just so I can get the makeup on.” And Lance sighed, picking up something that looked like a power, a small brush poised as he studied Keith’s face. “Your skin is surprisingly nice, given your track record of hygiene, so not much foundation. Close your eyes.” Keith groaned before shutting his eyes and then the cool of the brush proceeded to touch all of his face and then once it hit his jaw, he flinched and scooted back and Lance grabbed him before he hit the mirror. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Keith said and Lance let go of his upper arm. He shut his eyes again, and he waited, until Lance did something a few seconds later. He brushed at the jaw again and then made his way a little further down Keith’s neck and he couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you-what are you doing?” His smile was tilted as he drew his face back into his neck, so Lance couldn’t get at his neck with the makeup. “Lance,” and he opened his eyes and caught Lance looking at him, smiling. “I’m serious, stop-” but he kept going and after a minute, Keith swatted the brush away, less than happy. “You’re supposed to stop-”

“So, you’re ticklish, huh?” Lance closed the powder and set it and the brush back down on the counter.

“Do not or I will hurt you.”

“Relax, I’m not going to do it. Now.”

“Try it and I will kill you.”

“Sure, I bi-lieve you.” Lance picked up a pencil of a dark shade and then he took another look. “You have really nice eyebrows, they’re nice and thick, holy shit.” He set the pencil back down and he held his chin in his hand as he contemplated what to do. And then he snapped his fingers and Keith wasn’t sure if he liked it. And that’s when Lance took a tube and unscrewed the top half, and when he removed it, there was a brush type thing covered in black. “Mascara. Now, if you really do move this time, you might get stabbed in the eye.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Relax,” and then Lance hesitated before capping the mascara and then exchanged it for another stick. Once uncapped, the tip looked like a paintbrush. “Silly me, eyeliner goes first.”

“Lance-”

“Close your eyes and don’t move.” And then he started to move closer and Keith instinctively closed his eyes. Something wet began making a line across the bottom of his upper eyelid and then it drew out to the corner of his eye, as Lance did something. And then he did the other eye and then he instructed Keith to open his eyes and look upward. The same action followed underneath his lower eyelashes and Lance gave to okay to move. Keith blinked, feeling strange, and then the mascara came out.

“Lance, I swear-”

“You’re all talk, Kogane. Anyways, I’m wearing some,” and Keith was forced to look at how Lance’s eyelashes were more defined and he saw the black lines where his eyelids were meant to meet. “Besides, it will help accentuate that emo aesthetic of yours.” And he moved the toilet brush on a stick closer and Keith dodged. “Look, the quicker we do this, the quicker I can do your hair.”

“Not again.”

“If you want to see me shirtless, you’re going to have to comply.” Keith shut his eyes in a pained fashion and he clenched his fists by his side and then unclenched as he realized the futility of his fight. He muttered before opening his eyes and a few minutes later, Lance was closing the mascara tube. “There. Was that so bad?” Keith brought his hands to his face, ready to drag his skin down, when Lance grabbed him by the wrists. “Don’t mess it up.”

“It’s my face.”

“If you want to pull a winter soldier, prepare to be ditched at the beach. But at least look in the mirror first.” Keith lowered his hands and he slid off the counter and he turned around.

Something about seeing himself didn’t look any different. But as he blinked and kept looking, everything became softer and then more defined, as he realized the outline of his eyes stood out a little more. The black was neat and the makeup was flawless. He ended up looking at Lance in the mirror as he put back all the makeup he’d found. It was strange.

“Okay, now that that’s over with,” Lance turned around and Keith averted his eyes so that Lance couldn’t catch him staring, “Hair.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” At that, Keith slipped off the headband and all the hair fell over his eyes. Lance laughed at that and Keith blew his hair out of his eyes. “I’m just going to put a small braid in it. Come here.”

And Keith did, and Lance simply gathered the upper layer of his hair and he put it in a high pony. Then, he turned Keith around and he gathered a thick strand close to Keith’s neck and Keith swallowed smally. Lance began braiding and then he tied it off. “There. Now, clothes.” And he waved at Keith to follow him as he exited the bathroom.

And Keith took a deep breath before he did any such thing.

Once Keith was wearing navy swim trunks and a gray t-shirt lacking sleeves and most of its sides with some type of surfing logo on the front, he realized his outfit was close to Lance’s, except Lance was wearing a regular t-shirt, blue and regular shorts. Keith opened his mouth to ask but then he realized Lance was wearing a wet suit underneath and he just kept his mouth shut.

They ended up taking Lance’s car, a yellow convertible and Keith feared for his life every time Lance was allowed to step on the gas and speed up. It also didn’t help to have a black and white surfboard strapped precariously in the backseat and while the wind blew at his bangs, he couldn’t be bothered to brush them out of the way because they would never stay.

Driving opposite the city and out further to where it was smaller and more beachy was crazy. The pastels of the blues and pinks and greens of the stores before the beachfront were pretty, Keith had to admit, once Lance had parked the car and Keith finally felt safe again. “Is that how you always drive?”

“Live fast is my motto,” went Lance, as he climbed out, shutting his doors. The ocean breeze rustled his hair and something about the promise of the ocean so nearby did something to Keith. He shook his head before stepping out himself.

“You know that saying ends with ‘die young’, right?”

Lance nodded but didn’t really seem to care. He was more focused on removing the literal strings that somehow managed to keep the surfing item on board. Once he finished, he removed it and slid it under his arm. “Do you have the blanket and towels and-”

“I got them. Don’t worry.” The coolness beckoned and they headed for the sand.

Despite it being a weekday, it was packed; it was summer after all. They walked by many people, most recognizing Lance and they addressed Lance and he actually smiled at them and even stopped to sign a few things before he politely said that he was on a date and he grabbed Keith’s hand with his free one. The sand was warm beneath their feet, as the sand managed to get onto the surface of their sandals, and they walked, holding hands, while they each held other things in their other hand.

They walked for quite a bit before they ended up farther from where they’d parked and they sat closer to the water. Keith spread out the blanket and he sat down, ditching his sandals. He dug his toes into the sand and he stretched right as Lance ditched his clothes. Keith almost choked but then he remembered the wet suit and he calmed down. But then he looked and the calm Keith found comfort in disintegrated right there on the sand.

Black material was fitted and snug and Keith was reminded that Lance had a wider expanse of chest that was usually hidden by the signature green jacket. It wasn’t like he was beefy he was just, well, lean and he had a defined waist which led to seamly thighs Keith had never seen before and he, well, he felt his mouth go dry. “Keith.”

“What?”

“I’m going to head out, okay?”

“Right,” and he left, and Keith couldn’t help but watch him as he moved down to the water. It was a bit of a religious experience and Keith brought his knees to his chest and he hid his face in bent arms, watching Lance’s legs. “Oh god,” he whispered, and he shook himself out of it. He checked his phone, a mix of emotions to see that Ryan hadn’t tried making contact, and then he pocketed it, as he removed a book Hunk had lent him. He set his sunglasses atop his head and he read.

But he didn’t get very far because his mind was somewhere else. He shut the book, letting his eyes yield to his thoughts. Keith looked out at the ocean and he scanned the horizon, to find at least ten surfers, and then he kept scanning until he saw someone riding a wave and he realized it was Lance.

The wave had nothing on him as he glided easily, disappearing briefly behind crashing foam, but then he emerged, gliding along the surface of water. He was smiling and then he looked, as if he knew Keith was watching him. He raised a hand, bracelets faintly moving, and he waved. Keith, slowly, raised his hand to wave back when the wave of the ocean did that for him, as it sent Lance falling off his board. And since Keith’s hand was already raised, he used it to hide his laughter.

Eight minutes later, Lance came up the sand, board tucked under his arm, that weird flirtatious smile on his lips. He ran a hand through his wet hair and Keith would’ve been incapacitated had Lance not ate it. The memory kept Keith smiling. “That was smooth,” he admonished and Lance placed his free hand on his hip.

“Yeah, I know, I’m a pretty good surfer. Just got distracted.” Keith’s smile slipped from his lips and Lance looked at him, in a meaningful way, and it was hard to swallow. He shifted the board under his arm and then he headed back out to the ocean. Keith just watched, trying not to drown from what Lance must’ve said because there must’ve been people around who were interested in documenting details of the rich and famous. He breathed in and out, inhaling salty air and the taste of it on his lips as it left in a cool manner was hard to comprehend as real. He watched Lance continue to surf impeccably and the blue of the waves made it hard to look away; Lance made it hard to look away.

The book rested at his side as the time passed and people came and went. He didn’t touch it after Lance came back up on the beach and he was too busy watching Lance move over and though the water without effort. It was incredible.

Everything about being at the beach was unreal and unfocused, soft and strangling. Keith thought about a lot as he sat on the blanket and he watched Lance surf. He thought about how Lance had described the ocean the day before and Keith felt his shoulders relax and all of a sudden, the moment Keith was experiencing was infinite.

The sun was lower in the sky when Lance came out of the ocean once more, hair dripping wet. He dropped the board next to the blanket and he reached behind him, doing something and then he looked at Keith. “Could you get me a towel out of the bag?”

And then Keith was grateful to be doing something instead of looking and he dug through the bag before extracting a blue towel. “Here you g-”

Lance had just finished slipping his arms out of his wet suit and the upper half hung at his waist. He was shirtless, as Keith had wanted, but not like this. “Thanks,” and he took it from Keith. He placed it over his head and rubbed at it, trying his best to get the saltwater out of his hair. He then removed the towel and he sat down right next to Keith, his torso wet and defined and Keith felt like crying.

“Aren’t you going to dry your chest?”

“It’s kind of warm so, you know, it feels cool.”

“Right.”

“Do you want to go in?”

Keith nodded frantically before thinking. He could use more time apart. He removed the thing he could barely call a shirt and he dropped it, turning to see Lance looking at him. Keith removed his sunglasses and Lance swallowed slowly as soon as Keith took off, walking to the water.

The water was fucking cold and Keith found something new to occupy his mind as he waded in at a very slow pace. He walked around and jumped as a small wave came in so that he could prolong the cold contact trying to get at his stomach. It was fun, at first, watching him be so stupid, but then Lance grew irritated and he rolled the upper half of his wet suit down underneath his hipbones. He tied the sleeves and began his descent down the sand and a few feet before the water, he sprinted through the blue.

Keith turned as soon as heard the irregular thrashing of water to see Lance running at him and he went, “Oh no, don’t-” and Lance looked like he wasn’t going to stop for anything Keith said but then he got to where the water met his waist and he stopped, yelping a bit. Keith smiled to himself. “What’s the matter? Is it cold for you too, without that wet suit?” Keith asked mockingly, tilting his hand, and Lance just looked at Keith before he did a cross motion from chin to chest and then he dove. He hooked his arm around Keith and before Keith could get his bearing, his chest and back became enveloped by the cold he was busy getting the fuck used to before Lance moved him.

He was held onto as he glided through the cold water and then he was let go of, which caused him to momentarily disappear under the surface. The salt burned in his nostrils as he resurfaced to find Lance floating a few feet in front of him. “You were taking a while,” he said, as the water moved around them and Keith splashed Lance.

“That’s what you get! My nose is-” but he ended up getting a taste of seawater and he paused, finding Lance acting as if he hadn’t just done that. Keith spit out the water and swam closer to Lance, feeling something, and he acted as if he was going in for a kiss when Lance leaned in and then he placed his hands atop Lance’s head, pushing him under, Keith propelling himself slightly upward as he did so, and then he felt himself go under.

And then he was kissed, for real, but the shock of it caused him to open his mouth and the saltwater was unbearable so he resurfaced. He coughed and Lance resurfaced, coughing as well. “Payback,” he stated once he stopped, and then he swam back to the shore. Keith floated for a couple minutes and swam back once he realized it wasn’t worth wondering why Lance did that.

The sand clung to his feet as he left the sea and he avoided looking at Lance as he retrieved the other towel, wrapping it around his shoulders. He sat down next to Lance and he didn’t bother speaking. But Lance did, as usual. “I hope the media didn’t get that shot of you trying to drown me.”

“Are you kidding me? Pidge would probably cut that picture out and hang it on their wall.”

“You’re probably right,” Lance said, as he rested his hand behind him, his chest at a slant and his legs bent. “How’s the makeup? Look at me?” Keith turned and Lance almost didn’t breathe. Despite the dunking, the makeup was perfect and Keith smelled like home right next to Lance. It made him want to touch Keith’s face so, he put to use one of the only few talents Pidge said he had: he lied. “Oh shit, you’re going winter soldier on me.”

Keith sighed. “What does that even mean?”

“It means that your makeup is running.”

“I’ll just wipe it away then.” And Lance’s breath hitched, causing Keith to pause in bringing the towel to his face. “What is it?”

“Someone has a camera.” The lie was heavy on his tongue and he was impatient.

“So?” Keith leaned his head to the side and Lance blinked, clearing his throat.

“We’re hiding your makeup. Remember what we practiced?” Keith felt his stomach clench and he slowly lowered the towel to rest on his lap. He pressed his lips together and he looked like he was mentally psyching himself up. Lance would’ve loved to do it but he couldn’t afford to be so incredibly nervous about it. He pressed a hand to Keith’s face and Keith eyes fluttered open seconds before Lance kissed him.

It was an easy kiss, short and Lance pulled away. Keith’s eyes were still shut so he took the opportunity to lick his lips before leaning back in. The taste of salt was cool and after a few more seconds, it made Keith smile, because he remembered dinner the day before, how Pidge had labeled Lance salt. And it was funny, tasting the salt of Lance’s home away from home on his lips.

It tasted good.

Keith broke away to laugh a bit at what Pidge said and he managed to, and Lance watched, something in his chest stirring, and he wondered if maybe he should be more grateful to Pidge from now on after thinking back to the mistake of the phone call that no longer felt like that. He asked Keith what was so funny, and he explained it was what Pidge had said, and he retracted his decision to be nicer to Pidge.

But he couldn’t deny the change he felt in his fingertips as he grabbed Keith by the neck and kissed him once more. His hair was damp and it honestly kind of tickled as Keith kissed Lance and the actor slid his hand down the side of Keith’s neck, slowly and the smile Lance felt against his lips made him reconsider everything that had led up to that moment.

The evening wind was cool and Keith pulled away after Lance had deliberately tickled his neck as he squashed his head sideways, trying to crush Lance’s hand. “What did I tell you about-”

“I can’t make any promises,” Lance smiled simply and Keith looked at him, confused, and then Lance realized he still had cover-up to do, now with meaning. “Those photographers probably got what they wanted.” It felt funny to say but he couldn’t let Keith find out that something had shifted.

“Yeah, I think they got what they wanted,” Keith echoed, and he stared at the ocean before Lance breathed in.

“We should probably get going.”

“Yeah,” and Keith folded up the blanket and packed away the towels. He slipped on his shirt and put his sunglasses on, making sure to grab the book. Lance put on his t-shirt and slung his shorts over his shoulder and he tucked his board under his arm once more. He took Keith’s hand, for the sake of keeping up the guise, and they walked along the sand, silent, until they got to the car.

Lance put his board in and then he began removed the remaining part of his wet suit, putting his shorts on. Keith was somewhere else entirely as he he put the stuff in the front with him and he looked at the way the sky was beginning to lose the sun. Blue melted into orange and it was something to look at. He rested his chin on his palm and it was strange watching people return to their cars, not living a lie.

Or at least, not as big as the one the both of them were living.

The sky was a dark orange as the sun slipped away and it was strange watching it pass by as they drove and Keith no longer felt afraid by how fast Lance was driving. Instead, he felt rather empty. And it was strange to be feeling that way, with the wind whipping in his hair and with him riding in an expensive car. Everything about it was not in place as he watched the sky fade as Lance kept his eyes on the road, the both of them looking anywhere but at the other.

Once they came closer to the more populated areas, the traffic became thicker. They slowed down more and more and eventually, as expected, Lance talked. “Want to grab something to eat?” And at that point, Keith was grateful it was that that he’d said.

“Please,” he said, the taste of speaking foreign after not indulging in it for more than an hour. The taste of salt lingered and his mouth felt dry and Lance said something briefly to end the the exchange and he drove, passing the exit to his home, and into not quite the city, but rather, where gas stations were common. Lance stopped, relieved that he'd had enough gas to coast into a gas station and he filled up. The brightness of the light overhead made Keith realize he was still wearing his sunglasses, so he removed them.

And then he looked in the rear view mirror.

He slowly brought his fingertips up to one side of his face and he blinked, realizing that there was nothing wrong with his makeup. Keith studied it, confusion clouding his brain, and Lance climbed back into the driver’s seat. Keith just looked at Lance and he just smiled at him and Keith was so ready to overthink but his stomach was empty and demanded to be filled.

And ten minutes later, Lance pulled into a small parking lot. “Do you want to eat inside or outside?” He climbed out of the car, shutting his door. He waited, bathed in a mix of faded lights from bright glowing surfaces and he stood.

“Inside,” and with that, Keith followed Lance inside a Mexican food restaurant.

The lady who took their orders insisted on giving them free food since she loved Lance and Lance said he was flattered but he didn’t accept. In fact, he left them a hundred percent tip and they found a booth in the corner. The orange of the seat felt good to sit on and Keith rested his forearms on the slick, waved wood of the table. Lance got up and asked Keith, “What do you want to drink?”

“Whatever.” Lance came back with glass bottles and he had a green one as he gave Keith the red one. Seeing so much red lately made Keith’s heart flutter. He brought the glass bottle closer to him and he read the labels. “Jar-eetos?” He pronounced and Lance spit out his drink. He was laughing and Keith raised his eyebrow.

“They’re called Jarritos,” and he said it with an accent that made Keith wonder what else sounded good when Lance said it like that, aside from the silly name of a bubbly sweet drink. He drank, wondering, and then he set the glass down.

“Can you speak Spanish?” Keith didn’t know why it came out like that and Lance set down his drink in front of him, smiling as he bit on his lower lip.

“Nací y crecí hablando español,” he said, and then went, “Pensé que nunca lo preguntarías.”

“What did you just say?” and Lance decided to test something.

“Creo que eres hermoso.”

“Lance, what does that even mean?”

Lance only smiled. “Nada en absoluto.”

Keith let a displeased look inch in his face and he just focused on drinking until the a lady brought their food out. “Gracias, señorita,” and smiled and the waitress answered back, words lost to Keith. It was frustrating, as Lance began eating his taquitos, rice, and beans.

Keith ate after a minute, happy to focus on something else and the food tasted great, filling and Keith’s insides were happy.

After they finished, Lance kept speaking in Spanish.

“Estaba delicioso.” He handed the plate to the waitress after she had gotten Keith’s. “Mis felicitaciones al chef.” The waitress nodded happily and Lance left a generous tip before they left, the warmth of the summer greeting them as they exited.

“That was good,” Keith said.

“Sí,” Lance went and Keith licked the bottom of his upper row of teeth with his tongue.

“So, that means yes.”

“Por qué solamente entiendes español básico?”

“Lance, please, speak so I can understand you.”

“No.” And he opened the door on his side and he slid in. Keith raised an eyebrow and followed, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Let me guess, that means no in English?” Keith smiled at a tilted angle and Lance didn’t know if he could last the night so he gave up on saying nothing to Keith while saying everything to him.

“You don’t go to Berkeley for no reason,” and Lance put his key in the ignition. Keith laughed and it was lost in the engine of the car waking up.

The drive back removed three things that had been constant during the day: silence, speed, and the taste of the sea. They actually talked as they drove back to Lance’s place, and Lance constantly tried listening to modern, fun music and Keith’s hand was smacked away whenever he tried to change it.

The onset of the night instilled in him a courage he thought had no hope of coming back after being wounded by the day. It was thrilling.

Lance drove slower, and part of him did so because he didn’t want the day to end, the clock to strike twelve. So he gave up living fast, for the night, for the growing feeling, and the warmness of the air gave him comfort as he drove, singing like he did when he was drunk.

Keith couldn’t believe it.

The night erased the taste of the sea from their mouths and they sang until their throats hurt, dry, and it was worth it, it was worth it. They sang to rock and pop and what Lance called emo music but Keith called an intense, misunderstood form of expression from a tortured soul over the wind.

At that, Lance pulled over to the side of the road so he could laugh at how seriously Keith had said that and he practically cried for a few minutes as Keith sat, arms crossed in front of his chest, watching the lights of the cars that passed by.

“Dios santo,” he wheezed, clutching at his stomach, and Keith rolled his eyes.

“Are you done laughing yet?”

“I’m crying,” he sounded, and after laughing some more, Lance sat up and he wiped away tears from under his eyes and Keith watched him, seeing that his makeup was perfect.

It made him think and the courage that flowed through him urged Keith to kiss Lance.

But he didn’t.

After all, he couldn’t let on that he was falling for Lance McClain.

“Okay, I’m done,” Lance wheezed, and he started the car, pulling back onto the road. The warmness of the night engulfed them both as they drove, hiding everything from one another as they sat several feet apart. Old music played as they drove and they started talking, arguing again, and then laughing and it was a cycle that had a very ranged and varied soundtrack, most that dealt with falling for someone or liking someone and neither of them let onto the strangeness of it.

While Keith busied himself with singing softly, Lance stared at the road ahead, the strangeness of the night cycle consuming his thoughts. He wanted to pull over, again, and say something.

But he didn’t.

After all, he couldn’t let on that he was falling for Keith Kogane.

Everything about the day lingered in the night but the night was working against the both of them, they each thought, when really, it was working for them. As they drove, they continued, their conversations pointless and stupid underneath the few stars that dared to show above. Artificial light came and went, neon and lights advertising the thrill of the night life, the rush of living without regret. The promise of actions that were spontaneous and done for the sake of living and not existing.

There was something special about the night.

It spoke through emotions under ceilings and lights and music and smoke and the smell of feeling alive. The night did something to people and it was inexplicable once it hit them, causing the day to fade from their minds, as the sun faded from view.

It was gone and that caused people to be at their most vulnerable, their souls exposed, their hearts on the line. Everything about the night was unavoidable, infectious, and Lance and Keith were no exception as they drank in more of the night than they ever had before.

Keith thought about 2:37 a.m. and how the time had always come back to remind him of what it had brought him; the actions and words blended in his head as he remembered, glancing at Lance once, smiling a small smile to himself.

Lance thought about how he’d become impulsive for the sake of pretend during the night and that everything had changed as he glanced over at Keith, smiling a small smile to himself.

And so the night went on.

Both of them dared to wonder if the other had been looking while they weren’t and they both declared that an impossibility, both deciding that they were drunk on the night.

The ride seemed like forever and for once, they were okay with that. They were okay with the time moving with them, for them. They were okay.

It got a little harder to breathe as Lance pulled into his spacious driveway, as he turned the ignition off. The sound of the car dying made the summer air rustling the trees all that more apparent. In the distance, the whoosh of the cars still out on the road could be faintly heard and everything about the silence of the day was gone.

Each could hear their heartbeat in their ears, steady, the night coursing through their veins.

“We’re back,” Lance breathed and he removed the keys, and they added to the sounds persistence in driving away the silence.

“We are,” and Keith smiled, time leaving him behind.

“I had fun,” and Lance smiled.

“Me too,” Keith said.

“Thank you,” Lance said, his heart scolding him.

“For what?”

“Por hacer que me diera cuenta,” and the bravery that carried Lance home slipped away.

“Lance, you know I don’t understand you.”

“Es mejor así.” Keith tried to see if he could locate some sort of similar structure in the words but he couldn’t and he felt lost. The night consumed him and his courage drained through his fingers like grains of sand. He sat in the car as Lance opened his door and stepped out, shutting it and the noise sent a ripple in the silence that had settled.

It made something stir in Keith and he opened his door and shut it behind him, sending a wave to follow.

Follow Lance up the front steps to his house was a first, and drunk from the night, Keith wanted more than anything to let his body move, to entertain an idea both good and bad. As Lance reached the top step, Keith stopped him by reaching out and holding onto his wrist.

Lance looked back and Keith realized he still had a few grains of courage that hadn’t gotten away from him. He stepped up another step and then he reached his hand to the back of Lance’s head and pulled him in for a kiss.

The salt of the sea had vanished and the rush of the night had replaced it.

He kissed him softly, at first, and once Lance kissed him back, he deepened the kiss, daring to press harder and he did, smelling the ocean that scented Lance’s hair. He almost, almost gave him to trying to slip his tongue past Lance’s lips but he smiled and withdrew once the kiss was getting good.

It pained him to end it but he heard Lance whine and he knew he had done it right.

Lance opened his eyes and went, “Keith, what-”

“Payback,” and Keith moved past Lance as he smiled sweetly underneath the light over the front door. Everything about the night made Lance weak.

“What for?” He managed before Keith opened the door.

“For speaking to me in a way I don’t understand.” Lance raised his eyebrows and then he grinned. The night fueled him as he moved forward, moving to stand directly in front of Keith.

“Entonces te haré entender,” he whispered into Keith’s ear and the smell of the ocean came back to Lance.

“You’re doing it again,” Keith said, as he opened the door and Lance followed him inside. They walked together and said goodnight before separating.

But saying goodnight and meaning it?

That was the start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am sooo happy with this chapter, oh my goodness!!!
> 
> update: big thanks to @crownedfaun on tumblr for helping me tweak some of the spanish lines!


	5. the day after was theirs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His fingers ached a little to reach out and take Lance’s hand, the feeling of separation slowly becoming an unavoidable possibility. Everything else just went away and he was busy thinking and then he realized he was in a car and Lance was wearing a Dodgers baseball cap, driving just as fast as the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here's 7k and i hope you all like it, at least a little bit <3
> 
> also, side note, thank you for 101 subscriptions!

Waking up the morning after would’ve been sweeter if Keith didn’t have to open his eyes rapidly, blinking and clenching at the pillow all because the fire alarm had gone off.

He groaned and rolled out of bed, walking out the door and down the hall. Keith yawned just as soon as he entered the kitchen to see Lance cooking, or trying to at least, which had resulted in smoke. He just stood there, in a slight daze, as Lance’s head appeared and he tossed the pan into the sink. He turned the water on and the pan sizzled violently as Lance turned the flame on the stove off.

“Success,” Lance declared to himself as the sizzling stopped.

“You sure about that?” Keith managed, before yawning again and crossing his arms over his chest. His fingertips found bare skin instead of sleeves and Keith felt around, wondering why he wasn’t wearing a t shirt and then realized he was still in Lance’s clothes from yesterday. 

“I prefer to take victory in the small things, Keith,” and Keith was forced to stop looking down at his clothes and he looked at Lance, who was wearing different clothes and with a fresh face. “Did you sleep in your makeup?”

“I was tired.”

“The smudged eye makeup really adds to your emo aesthetic, but what do I know?” Keith pointedly looked at the pan in the sink.

“Well, apparently not how to cook.” Keith turned back to find Lance looking away. “Why did you decide to do this again?” Keith shifted his weight to one foot as he waited for Lance to say something incredibly dismissive or nonchalant regarding the situation. 

“I was cooking breakfast for you.” Keith’s weight suddenly became balanced on his feet as his mind tried to wrap around what Lance had just explicitly said. He felt his brain go into overdrive, ready to dive off the mental cliff into the sea of overthinking, so he opened his mouth instead.

Something really sarcastic was sitting on the tip of his tongue, but his brain stopped just before he could get the words out. He just stood there with his mouth open, and then he shut it after several seconds, blinking slowly. 

“Speechless? I know,” Lance admonished, smiling, and Keith snapped out of it.

“Well, it sounds like you were planning on feeding me charcoal briquettes.”

“Rude.”

“How do you set the fire alarm off every time you cook? I don’t understand.”

“Easy, the world’s against me.” Keith rolled his eyes.

“Not if you’re rich and famous and attract-” Keith killed the last word as it subconsciously slipped out of his mouth. “Anyways, I think-”

“That I’m attractive? Me too.” Lance smirked and Keith knew he had fucked up. Again. Then, Lance moved closer and Keith thought back to the first time he saw Lance making breakfast. He stepped back immediately and Lance was grinning. “So, it’s true.”

“Lance, there’s this thing called personal space-”

“Didn’t seemed like you cared about personal space last night,” and then Keith remembered what he’d done. He felt his cheeks tingle slightly, but he kept his wits about him.

“You tried to drown me.”

“You tried first. And then I did, and then you kissed me last night, so, isn’t it my turn?” Everything about that moment smelled and felt like the afternoon where Lance had set off the sprinklers. He was coming closer and Keith found himself backed against the counter as Lance moved closer, but Keith’s heart could only take so much. So he slid along the counter that surrounded the kitchen until he got to the sink and looked into it out of the corner of his eye. Lance caught up and slid a hand on Keith’s waist and had Keith not looked into the sink, he would’ve melted at the touch of Lance’s hand against his exposed skin. He leaned in and Keith placed his hand on Lance’s face, turning his head to completely face the sink.

“What were you even cooking?” The dish was practically blackened, indiscernible from what it once was. “Looks like you really were going to be feed me charcoal briquettes,” and Keith grinned right as Lance decided to lick the palm of Keith’s hand. Keith withdrew his hand. “Lance, what the fuck-”

“You taste like the sea,” he noted and Keith could hear the ocean faintly at the mention. 

“I’m not for eating. Food is for eating, which is something you clearly cannot prepare.” Keith wiped his hand on the borrowed shirt he wore. “I’m going to help you.” He gathered his hair and after he did, he raised his wrist to his teeth as he bit onto the hair tie on his wrist, moving it up off his hand. He wrapped it around a few times before lowering his hands. “Let me ask again: what were you even cooking?” Lance was a little distracted by the simple act of Keith putting his hair up and he didn’t answer until he was asked again. “Lance, what-”

“I was making you some potatoes, beans, and chorizo.” Keith looked over to the stove to see a cutting board with remnants of potato skin and he sighed.

“Okay, we’ll start over. Get some more of whatever you were making.” Lance did so and Keith took a potato and handed Lance the peeler along with it. “Peel that.” Lance moved to do it over the trash can and the peels hit the trash bag and he hummed; Keith opened the can of beans with a can opener. When he was a couple twists in he heard something fall into the trash. He turned his head, his pony swishing at the nape of his neck, and he saw Lance holding the peeler at his side, examining the pointer finger on his left hand.

He was watching the blood. “Lance, holy fuck!” And Keith set down the can, gripping onto Lance’s hand with both of his. “Come with me,” and he led him to the sink. He let go to turn the water on and then he took a hold on Lance’s wrist and guided it to the rushing water. The red flowed and then the cut line appeared, thin and fairly long, and Keith turned off the water. “Where do you keep the first aid?”

“My bathroom,” Lance mumbled and Keith pulled Lance behind him as he walked with purpose to Lance’s room. He took him to the bathroom and had him sit on the counter as he looked and looked until he found band aids. He grabbed one and then took Lance’s hand. He peeled off the wax paper and wrapped the band aid around Lance’s finger and for some reason, he kept holding onto his hand. “There.”

He didn’t look straight at Lance and he couldn’t, because he felt a pair of lips press against his cheek ever so slightly. Lance withdrew and Keith looked at him. The actor smiled warmly. “Thanks.” Keith let go of Lance’s hand slowly and then he focused on closing the band aid box back up.

“Of course,” Keith mumbled and put the box back, heart pounding like crazy. 

“You know something? I actually cut myself on a different peeler before you woke up.” And Keith whipped his head back to look at Lance as he pushed up his sleeve, a different bandage high up on his forearm.

“How did you do that?” Keith’s worry rose and he looked at the bandage and then at Lance.

“I got distracted.” Keith covered his face with his eyes and he sighed. He prompted Lance to follow him and unbeknownst to Keith, Lance was watching him, smiling all the while. His heart had fluttered with a swell of hope when Keith successfully led him to his room in the first place and it hadn’t stopped since.

Upon entering the kitchen, Keith went, “Okay, so no cutting the potatoes, because that’s a problem. So-”

He turned as Lance smiled. “I guess you could say it’s the root of all of my _problems_.”

“Lance.”

“Pretty good, right?”

“They’re actually something called tubers. Nice try though,” and Keith smiled, his hair framing his face very prettily. “Now, what can we have you do?” And he turned to the oven and Lance felt a familiar sensation wash over him, but couldn’t name it exactly. “Oh, I know, you can wash the potatoes because it’s water, so _water the odds_ you’ll get hurt? I’ll peel them. You can start cooking the beans and I’ll pray they don’t end up like they normally do.” Keith spun back around and Lance raised an eyebrow, still stuck on the pun that had left Keith’s lips. “Do you follow?”

“I honestly stopped listening after you, Keith Kogane, said a pun.”

Keith turned away a little too quickly. “I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention, which you clearly weren’t-”

“Eres tan lindo.”

“Lance, again, I don’t understand. Now get over here and wash the tubers.” Lance had to smile.

“They’re roots, Keith. _They constantly trip me up_.” Keith ignored him as he put the beans in a new pot and set the fire on low. “Oh come on, you just cracked a pun. Let me live.”

“Pidge lets you live too much.” 

“Savage,” and Lance took the potatoes as he ran them under the water. It took him a minute or so and then handed them to Keith, who peeled with a disturbing proficiency. “Dude, relax, you’re going to get cut even worse than me.”

“No, I won’t.” Keith smiled to himself. “Besides, the faster I do this, the faster I get to eat.”

“Fair enough.” Keith peeled over the trash can and Lance went, “I’m going to put the chorizo in.”

“Careful, don’t look away or else you’re going to burn down the house.”

“Then it’d be lit,” and the sound of the flame being turned on entered Keith’s ears.

“Please don’t burn down your house just for the sake of your weed aesthetic.” Lance laughed and it echoed funnily in the kitchen and Keith closed his eyes, indulging in the sound. It was pleasant and Keith finished peeling the second potato. “All right, now I’m going to cut these because if you couldn’t handle the peeler, then I’m certainly not going to put a knife in your hands.”

“That’s not very _knife_ , Keith,” Lance went and at that Keith rolled his eyes, bringing the potatoes to the cutting board. He pulled a knife from a block set on the counter and he began to cut. “Keith. Kogane, I don’t see why I don’t make the _cu_ t. I’m perfectly qualified to _cut in_ and take over. My skills are excellent, unmatched, _sharp_ as hell-”

“Say one more knife pun and what Pidge said about someone holding a knife to your shit eating face will come true.”

“Don’t _cut me off_ like that-” and Keith did it. Lance grinned and raised his eyebrows up and down. 

“Don’t say anything,” and Keith went back to slicing, cutting faster than before. He finished and he found another pan, dumping the potatoes in. The flame went on and he inspected the beans and chorizo. “Hey, these aren’t burnt. I’m impressed.”

“Hi impressed, I’m dad. It’s _knife_ to meet you.”

“Stop.”

“Keith, you have to say hi. Don’t you have manners? It’s the _knife thing_ to-” At the risk of thinking in pun format, Keith had nothing in his mind but to cut off Lance by any means possible. So he grabbed the front of Lance’s shirt and he kissed him just to shut him up. He pushed Lance away after several seconds, before either of them could get lost in it.

“Shut up Lance,” and Keith attended back to food like it was nothing. And it was, since it was purely to stop the cooking puns altogether. He stirred the beans, then the potatoes, then the chorizo, his free hand resting at the small of his back. 

“Never. I’m never shutting up.” Keith looked and Lance stuck out his tongue like a child. 

“Fine, but Pidge is probably going to shut you up permanently with a knife.”

“Impossible. And anyways, my silence can only be bought for eight thousand dollars a month.”

“I honestly expected the number 420 to be somewhere in that price tag.” The food sizzled and the heat wafted with flavor and Keith felt his stomach growl.

“Or, you could just kiss me. We need the practice.” The sizzling sound of food was the only thing Keith could hear as he turned his head to find Lance avert his eyes. “Lord knows you need it. You suck at kissing,” and he looked at Keith for the last bit, pointing a finger. Keith set down what he was stirring with and he walked calmly towards Lance, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

“You didn’t seem to think that last night,” and he moved back, pointedly watching Lance. He turned back to the food and he watched it finish cooking without hearing any puns whatsoever. He turned off the flames and turned to Lance who was still standing where Keith had left him. “Hey, where are the plates?” He blinked and then looked at Keith. Lance silently opened cabinets near the refrigerator and he removed two plates, red and blue of a beautifully designed set. “These are lovely,” Keith sounded and at that, Lance started talking again.

“My mom gave them to me when I moved in.” Keith listened as he portions of each food on both the plates. “She wanted to give me a bit of home to take with me.”

“That’s really sweet,” and Keith handed Lance a plate. “Forks?” Lance set down his plate and produced two forks with efficiency. He handed Keith one. “Thank you,” and they dug in. 

“This is good,” Lance noted, as he ate his breakfast.

“You’re welcome.” Keith said and they ate until they finished. Keith found himself examining the plate in his hands and he suddenly felt the urge to hear about Lance, what kind of family he had. But before he could speak, Pidge appeared.

“Okay, cool, you didn’t burn down the kitchen.”

Lance gave Pidge a look. “Why didn’t you come running when you heard the fire alarm?”

“Because I knew it was you and I just...didn’t feel like getting up.” And Pidge adjusted their glasses, moving to open a cabinet. “It was more acceptance at that point. If the house burned down, so be it.” And Pidge reached for the cabinet, missing it by a good foot.

“I’m touched you care so much,” Lance splayed a hand across his chest. He grinned and added, “Short stuff.”

“Fuck off, Lance.”

“Maybe it’s better you can’t reach, after all, they say coffee stunts your growth.”

“Anyways,” Pidge climbed up on the counter, “how did the date go?” They opened the cabinet and Keith and Lance looked at one another. How did it go? Each one felt like going into detail would expose the change in their feelings toward the other underneath the banter. Then they looked away and at the same time, they answered.

“Fine. It was fine.” Pidge climbed back down after successfully retrieving the coffee grounds and looked at the both of them.

“Glad to hear it,” and Pidge started making their coffee. The sound of the machine started and they left to go do something and Lance and Keith were left to try and not drown in vivid memories from yesterday; and it was tough because Lance was standing near Keith and he could smell the ocean. 

“You should take a shower.”

“Why must you dictate my hygiene?”

“Because you won’t.” Lance threw his hands in the air and with that, both of them were saved from drowning. “Plus, I think it’s time we finally went shopping. You’re not going to last wearing my clothes.” But in his head, he was really thinking about how he wasn’t going to last. “Come on.”

And once again, Keith was in Lance’s shower, washing the scent of the beach off of him. He only used shampoo to spite Lance but even after his hair dried, it ended up being really soft. He even found himself messing with it as Lance braided his hair once more while he sat on the bed. It was strangely comforting.

After Lance was done, he gave Keith one last outfit of his to change into.

“You really wear this?” he asked, as he exited the bathroom. The high waisted jeans he wore were cuffed at the bottom and he pulled at the hem of shirt that barely met where the jeans started. In fact, there was more often than not a sliver of skin as he moved and the more he looked at the color of his shirt, the more he was reminded of his truck, an emerald tone.

“Yeah,” and Keith looked up to find Lance wearing pretty much the same thing, except his shirt was sleeveless, longer and a flowy shade of lilac.

“Are we really wearing matching pants?”

“It helps sell the couple aspect,” Keith quieted. “Besides, it’s cute.” He turned to Keith and pulled him to look at the two of them in the mirror. “See?”

And the thing was, both of them saw very clearly. But they didn’t let on. Lance set a pair of sunglasses on Keith’s head, careful to not ruin the braids. He let his fingers touch Keith’s hair and he gave a displeased smile. “You don’t smell like mint. You skimped on conditioner, didn’t you?”

“You’re scary,” Keith smiled.

“I have a good sense of smell,” and tugged playfully on the strand of hair he had. “Don’t do it from now on.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he said. Lance rolled his eyes and motioned for Keith to follow. While he did, the fortune he’d received was all he could think about as he watched Lance walk in front of him. His fingers ached a little to reach out and take Lance’s hand, the feeling of separation slowly becoming an unavoidable possibility. Everything else just went away and he was busy thinking and then he realized he was in a car and Lance was wearing a Dodgers baseball cap, driving just as fast as the night before.

How his hat didn’t fly off was all Keith could think about as Lance parked his car. He stared at him as he hummed and got out of the car. Lance slipped his keys into his back pocket as he shut the door and walked away, stopping to turn and look back at Keith. “Look, I know I’m attractive but you need to stop staring so we can go find you some new clothes. Let’s go.”

“Lance, that’s not-”

“Ándale!” He clapped his hands several times before Keith sighed and got out of the car. Once it had been locked, they both headed off, both of them feeling a little shy at holding the other’s hand. So they just stuck close, talking into what soon turned into banter as they entered a very nice clothing store.

A man approached them, smiling his best smile. “Mr. Mcclain, what would you like to drink?”

“Water, please.”

“And you?” he looked at Keith, who was busy taking the simplicity that made the store so grand. “Sir?” He was nudged out of it when Lance pushed at his side gently with his fingers. His eyes landed on Lance, and he gestured to the man. Keith found the man looking at him and shook himself out of it.

“I’m sorry. I’ll have...do you have iced tea?”

“Yes, we do. I’ll get you your drinks right away.” The man looked at both of them before leaving.

“This is incredible,” Keith rubbed at the inside of his arm. The interior was a pale shade of green and only after they went upstairs did Keith notice the chandelier that hung near the front of the entrance. Everything about the building was cool, safe from the impending heat rising outside. They’d stayed on the lower floor for a bit after the man quickly brought them their drinks. Lance pretty much led the way, looking through racks of shirts, pants, and shorts.

“Feel free to look around,” Lance already had a couple things slung over his arm that disappeared as someone came to take them away and put them in dressing room number 4. “I’m looking for myself, and maybe you, if I see something I think you’ll look good in.”

“Thanks,” and Keith was forced to walk off. He found himself, being a college student, practically used to almost being broke, checking the price tags more often than not. He choked on his tea the first few times, as the shirts that caught his eye were over fifty dollars. “How,” Keith whispered. He turned to see Lance picking out things to try and it was, honestly, a lot.

Keith felt kind of guilty at that moment, already getting a couple hundreds of thousands in college tuition. He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth but he knew Lance would get on him for not finding new clothes. He gingerly went through the long racks, finding basic shirts, black, white, maroon, and another kind of shirt like the one he was wearing. They weren’t cheap but they were the least expensive. Like Lance, his clothes were whisked off.

Once he pretty much went through two long clothing racks, he made his way up the stairs, to find even more clothes, and he drank his tea, looking through the pants, finding jeans and one pair of incredibly comfortable black pants he decided he would try on. And the clothes were whisked away, and Keith kept looking, as he got lost in doing so, swaying to the music he’d heard at Altea that one night. 

“It’s such a good song, right?” And Keith gave his fingers break from pushing the hangers aside. He turned to find a very beautiful woman, her skin darker than Lance’s. Her shirt she was wearing was white, off the shoulders, and finished towards the end of the sleeves and the hem with a gorgeous kind of blue and pink water color effect. It stopped at the same place Keith’s shirt did and she wore high waisted shorts, cinched at the waist. Her hair, however, was what Keith found himself looking at longest.

It was long, stopping at the point where her back ended. And it was flowy, white in a silver way, and as she stood there, Keith finally noticed her eyes. They were a shade that matched her shirt and he was taken aback by how lovely she was. 

“Yeah, yeah it is.” She smiled and Keith struggled to keep his wits about him.

“My boyfriend sings it.”

“Wow, that’s cool,” and Keith finally smiled back. 

“You’re Lance’s boy, aren’t you?” Keith froze and looked at her. She clapped her hands together. “I knew it! You two look so good together. I think you’re quite lovely,” she smiled and Keith felt himself blushing.

“Oh, thank you. I think you’re beautiful.”

“How nice of you to say that,” and she grinned. Before Keith could ask her what her name was, she received a call. She talked for a minute and then turned off her phone. “Sorry, that was my manager! I’ve got to go, but it was lovely meeting you!” Keith finally noticed the accent in her voice before she waved and took off. He waved smally after her as she descended down the stairs.

Keith had met three beautiful people so far and Keith needed to sit the fuck down. He composed himself for a few minutes before getting back up and finding more things, especially underwear, because he had a feeling Lance would kill him if he didn’t get any.

A lady came to take his clothes but he didn’t let her. “Could you take me to the dressing room?”

And he felt his stomach clench upon entering dressing room 4. It was more like a walk-in closet, rather than a dressing room. It was six times the size of an average one at it’s largest and nothing about it felt like a dressing room. There were four large mirrors, two on either side and the lighting was phenomenal, or that’s at least what Lance had said as he quietly appeared behind Keith.

“Please don’t do that,” Keith turned and Lance shrugged before making his way past Keith. He headed to one of two clothes racks that clearly had twice as many clothes as the other. “Lance, what’d you do clear out an entire ra-” But Keith stopped because Lance began to lift his shirt over his head. “What are you doing?”

“This is a dressing room, Keith.”

“Exactly, it’s not an undressing room.”

“Well, I’m about to get dressed,” and he put on a shirt, a yellow off the shoulder crop top and he looked at himself in the mirrors for a few minutes before moving onto trying on every single thing. Keith sighed and he decided he might as well do something so as not to be looking at Lance the whole time. He removed his shirt and tried on the ones he found, liking the way they felt against his skin. 

He got so into it that he tried on the black pants and he smiled, as he looked at himself. He, however, caught Lance looking as he looked to the side to see Lance look away in the mirror. Keith turned and Lance removed his shirt, again, and he put back on his lilac shirt. “Those look good,” Lance fitted his cap back onto his head.

“Thanks,” Keith said, softer and lacking in disbelief. He grabbed at his arm and then he said, “I’m going to change now.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” Lance settled into that flirty, obnoxious smile and Keith threw his shoe at him. “Hey, careful.”

Keith rolled his eyes and he rolled the pants down his legs and Lance couldn’t help but notice the bare skin of his shapely legs and the curve of his posterior. It was something, watching as Keith returned to wearing Lance’s clothes, slightly grumbling all the way. He finished and then he turned to find Lance’s eyes on him. “Were you really watching me?” He crossed his arms.

“Am I attractive?” Lance asked and Keith pointedly looked away.

“Can we go now?” 

“Sure thing.” Lance exited the dressing room and seconds later, a team of five people took half of Lance’s clothes and all of Keith’s and he watched, a little frightened as he exited the dressing room after them to find Lance paying for everything.

“Lance, you don’t have to-”

“You need clothes. Besides, you’ll be better off not looking like the shiftless hobo you were when you came here.” He was handed back a credit card and he eyed Keith.

“Thanks, I guess.” The words were back to being biting in the slightest as everything Lance had bought was somehow packed away in a fairly medium-sized bag and it was the same for Keith. “How.” He held the bag in his hand and they exited the store.

More people were out, walking the sidewalks, as they chatted, drinks and bags in their hands. Some looked at their phones or were talking to someone and everyone moved with purpose. They all had somewhere to go, somewhere to be be. “Follow me,” Lance said and he took off and Keith followed him. He noticed as Lance turned heads, men and women alike, and some actually got him to stop but it was brief, and Keith found himself studying the buildings reaching for the sky.

And then as they walked, at some point the crowds thickened and Keith became separated from Lance. He moved off to the side, in front of a department store with a large window. He leaned against the purplish gray of the slick  building and he took a deep breath, considering what to do. Chatter of people became null and void as he thought about calling Lance but as he took his phone out, someone sidled up next to him. “Hey, can I get your number?” He looked to find a girl and he looked back at his phone.

“Sorry, I don’t have a phone,” and he was about to press the call button as a manicured hand appeared on his wrist.

“Someone’s feisty. Don’t be that way, come on,” she looked at him.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Don’t touch him.” Keith felt relieved to hear Lance speak at the same time as him. He removed the girl’s hand from Keith’s wrist. And with a final look towards the girl meant to wither instead of melt, he took Keith’s hand in his and pulled him back into the crowd. “Don’t let go. It’d be bad if I lost you,” and he turned so that half his face was visible, a smile that disappeared from view as quickly as it had come into it. 

Keith thought about the fortune again and he held onto Lance’s hand silently as they made their way down the sidewalk. Once the mass of people cleared up near nicer looking boutiques, Lance immediately started singing. “Making my way downtown, walking fast-”

“Lance,” but he stopped, partially enjoying the fact he could hear Lance sing again, even if it was silly. “Where are we going?” He smiled and then realized they were still holding hands. Keith took in a small breath before removing his hand from Lance’s and Lance let his hand hang at his side, not even looking back. Yeah, it’s for the better, they both thought.

It was better to take breaks or else they would end up falling even deeper into what was supposed to be a ruse. Keith moved to walk beside Lance and they ended up going into another store. They had different dressing rooms that time and Keith couldn’t have been more grateful.

They ended up buying less there but it was an experience nonetheless.

“Lance, why is there a dress in my changing room?”

Lance opened his door, unafraid of being shirtless in front of Keith. “Remember? It’s a dressing room.”

“Then get dressed,” Keith smiled endearingly once more as he reached out and pressed his hand to Lance’s chest, pushing him back into his dressing room. Only after he shut the door did he realize what he’d done. “Fuck,” he whispered.

Lance meanwhile couldn’t have been more grateful that Keith didn’t leave his hand there longer, for fear he would’ve felt his heart beating faster. “I’m going to die,” Lance murmured and the ghost of the touch lingered as he tried on something else, trying to distract himself.

Keith did the same and the only way he could was by trying on the dress. It was a navy blue with with sleeves that sat snugly on his arms and they sat off his shoulders. The dress stopped midway with a section of plain fabric that ended halfway down his upper legs. At the waist is where it was cinched in a flattering way and the sheen material started, cutting off where the plain material stopped in the front and it trailed down, longer in the back, brushing at his calves as moved.

He studied himself in the mirror and he moved about, watching the fabric move and settle with an airy display. It was beautiful and Keith couldn’t help but like it. He headed to the dressing room door and opened it, ready to show Lance, but he stopped himself.

That would only complicate things.

And Keith had already done that earlier.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he changed back into the clothes he’d gone out in and he gathered the clothes he’d wanted, including the dress, and he waited on a bench for Lance. He exited ten minutes later and he nodded at Keith, silently telling him to follow him to the cashier.

Lance’s breath hitched as he saw the dress get scanned and he swallowed. Keith was busy looking at his phone, partly relieved to still find that Ryan hadn’t texted him after several days, partly worried at how the official bomb had been dropped two days ago. He sighed as he pocketed his phone and then he was handed his bag by Lance. “Thanks,” he said.

“De nada,” Lance said and Keith was smart; he realized what Lance meant finally. Well, at least a bit, but it was a start. They left the store and the heat got to them, so both headed back to Lance’s car, getting stopped at least six times along the way, and Keith simply dealt with it.

When they reached the car, they put their bags in the backseat and then climbed in. Lance stuck the key into the ignition but before he could turn his car on, Keith turned his body towards him. “How do you do it?”

“Well, most of being me is beauty and that-”

“No, how do you,” he tapped the blue brim of Lance’s hat, “keep this on while driving so ridiculously fast?” He withdrew his hand as Lance pondered for several seconds.

“Insane luck and really effective bobby pin placement,” and Lance grinned at Keith before turning on the engine. Before Lance pulled out of his parking spot, he turned the radio on and instead of pop music, it was music sung in Spanish. Keith rested his mouth against the palm of his hand and as he continued listening, he felt indulged in familiarity. He lifted his head and looked at Lance, shoulders light with realization.

“This is the song,” Keith said and Lance side eyed him after he turned a corner.

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember a few days ago? When we were at Altea? I told you that you sung?” Keith said. “Well, this was the song you played.”

“I sang Juanes?” Keith listened to the song, unable to truly know what was being said, but it was soft and easy to fall into. “Are you sure?”

“I recognize the tune,” and the song ended. “It was that.”

“I blame my mom and my sister.” Lance drove with ease and another song played, a more lively one.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, the wind blowing at his bangs with reckless abandon.

“Well, when I was growing up, my mother and older sister loved Juanes. They loved listening to him nonstop and when my mother forced me to learn the guitar, they both agreed I should learn a song or two. Unfortunately,” he laughed in a small way, “I ended up learning almost all of them.” He smiled at the road ahead. “But I usually don’t play. It’s usually when I get drunk.”

“And you said you didn’t play often,” Keith mused, turning his head.

“Ha ha, very funny.” The car slowed as the traffic became more congested. “I just sing more, but usually not seriously, just for fun. It’s dramatic and I love it.” He leaned his head into the palm of his hand and he looked at Keith sideways, smiling. “What about you? Any talents?”

“Well, aside from painting and drink mixing skills, I took dance when I was younger and then I quit after high school.” Thinking about it made Keith realize just how many years had passed since high school, since he’d quit. He bit down lightly on his fist, incredulous.

“Get out.” Keith turned to find Lance to find him looking at him, his body turned into the seat belt.

“No, I really did,” and he rested his hands on his lap, studying them.

“What kind of dance?”

“Ballet. And then as I got older, it became more contemporary.” Keith let go of a smile.

“That’s incredible. Did you want to take dance or were you forced?”

“I wanted to, when I was little. And then I was determined to quit in high school but my baseball coach actually recommended I keep doing it.” He looked at Lance, who stared at him with wide eyes.

“You played baseball, too?” Keith’s heart fluttered and his mouth went dry. “What position?”

“I played right field.”

“Pitcher,” and a smile was practically growing on Lance’s face and Keith really wished the traffic would move because his heart could only take so much. “Wow, what do you know. I was a fabulous pitcher and I was throwing a perfect game at the state championships my senior year of high school but some asshole hit a home run; he ruined everything!”

“We went to the state championships once,” Keith felt a racing sensation caught in his throat, “and I hit a home run against this team, the Wildcats-”

“Keith Kogane, are you telling me you ruined my perfect game while I was on the-”

“The Wildcats while I was on the-”

“The Rockies,” Lance finished and they just looked at each other. “Are you-” A horn sounded behind their car and Lance found that the traffic had been moving and he lifted his foot off the brake. He stepped on the gas and the car jerked forward and Keith couldn’t believe it.

He felt overwhelmed as Lance drove fast, only to slow down again because of traffic. “Are you telling me I’ve been fake dating the guy who crushed my chance at a win?” He looked at Keith and something about knowing Lance in the past didn’t register with him. He was looking at an actor who almost led his team to victory so many years ago. 

“I guess so,” and Keith smiled. 

Lance inhaled deeply. “Boi-”

“You’ve been kissing the enemy and holding hands with the enemy,” Keith smiled and smiled and he felt the tears in the corner of his eyes. “I can’t believe this-”

“Neither can I,” and the car started moving again. 

“Lance, I’m in tears,” and Keith began laughing.

“This is outrageous, unbelievable,” Lance muttered and as Keith kept laughing, he felt his grip on the steering wheel stripped of its pressure and he rolled his head as the car moved slowly. He looked at Keith and he wondered why he didn’t remember him. He certainly would’ve remembered that head of hair. He watched, a small smile on his lips, and the traffic began to flow again. After Keith had laughed for solid several minutes, Lance went, “You done?”

“Holy fuck, this is amazing,” and Keith wiped underneath his eyes with his pointer finger. “I’m never letting this go.”

“Just when I’d gotten over it, too,” and Lance draped an arm over the side of his door. “I’m hurt.”

“I can’t wait to tell Pidge.”

“Let me live. I don’t need this,” and the flow moved nicely as the sun started its descent from high in the sky. 

“Lance, relax, it’ll be fun,” and Keith smiled ahead at the road as he leaned forward.

“You’re evil,” and Lance bit on his lower lip while Keith wasn’t looking.

“I’m your enemy, remember?” Keith tilted his head into his shoulder, smiling endearingly at him.

“Tienes suerte de ser lindo,” Lance sounded and Keith cocked his head, wondering whether or not it was worth it to try and get the meaning out of Lance.

“Whatever you say,” Keith said as he leaned back against the leather of the seat. He decided to watch the cars pass by him and he idly stared into the mirror on his door. It wasn’t particularly fascinating but watching the buildings grow smaller was something to be distracted by. The warmth of June weather hit his face and he sighed. He watched the road ahead and he saw Lance’s hand extend and change the radio station.

“All right, good music!”

“Lance-”

“Quiet, you emo.”

“Oh, me? The emo who beat you at the state championship?” Keith snorted and Lance gave him a look.

“At least let me recover from this while we’re in the car. Once we’re out, it’s still not okay but give me a break, _give me a second_ -”

“What?”

“ _I need to get my story straight_ , _my friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the empire state_ -” At that point, Keith realized that Lance was singing along to the song that had just come on and he almost melted. The way the lyrics came out of Lance’s mouth made him close his eyes and the next thing he knew, the singing in all its seriousness was over because the song had ended. It was a little surreal.

“Lance, that was-”

“Beautiful? I know.” And he winked before focusing solely on the road once more. Keith was a little taken aback and he just kind of stared at Lance like he had earlier when he wondered about the hat, which was still on. “I know you’re staring. However, I cannot blame you-”

“Stop.”

“Like I said, 8000 a month-”

“Lance, there’s a stop sign! Brake!” and the car’s front wheels ended up past the white line. “You’re lucky there wasn’t a car in front of you!”

“True,” and Lance turned, making his way down the street and he pulled into his driveway. He turned the car off and sighed. “Well, we’re back.”

“Thanks to me,” and Keith climbed out of the car, closing his door.

“Please, it was all me,” Lance sounded, pulling his keys from the ignition. He climbed out and collected his bags. Gingerly, he gave Keith his. “Here’s your things.”

“Thanks,” Keith took them and he stood still before taking off very quickly. “I’m going to go find Pidge!” Lance scoffed and took off after him. His baseball hat flew off behind him as he caught Keith, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“I don’t think so,” and while Keith wiggled, Lance’s fingers danced and Keith practically yelped. Lance grinned. “So,” he raised an eyebrow, “guess who remembers?”

“Don’t.”

But Lance tickled Keith again anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so major thanks to:
> 
> tumblr user @ crownedfaun for helping me with the Spanish (you are a doll!)
> 
> &
> 
> tumblr user @ chambe5r-the-5-is-silent for beta reading this chapter for me and helping with grammar and typos (you are wonderful!)


	6. as well as the evening after

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Still, my brother doesn’t seem to be able to flirt and he found you. That’s something,” she set aside the slices of tomato and began cutting into another one. “You must really like my brother.”
> 
> Keith set down his fifth slice of bread and moved onto the last, telling himself to not hesitate in his actions. He could hear everything kind of go silent and he answered, “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for 120 subscriptions & 3.1k hits wow nice

And they didn’t end up getting very far past the door. Lance had managed to knock Keith down onto the floor. “You asshole,” Keith managed, as he was continuously being tickled, causing him to thrash wildly in an attempt to get out from under Lance. “Fuck, Lance-” But he also couldn’t help but laugh here and there and then resort back to threats as Lance smiled down at him, hair ruffled from the Dodgers cap flying off. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and Keith practically yelled, “I’m going to kill you!”

“Sure you are,” Lance leaned down, bringing his face closer to Keith’s. “Sure thing, Kogane.”

Keith almost felt his heart stop, being able to see Lance’s face so close when they weren’t kissing. In a matter of seconds, Keith saw everything and he almost did something about it, but the tickling made him prepare to smash his forehead into Lance’s. He concentrated and barely lifted his head off the ground when a voice stopped him.

“Oh, it’s just pda,” Pidge sounded, as Keith looked at him from below. Pidge snapped their fingers. “Damn.”

“Why do you sound so disappointed?” Lance asked, sitting on Keith’s stomach. 

“Well, I heard Keith declare the intention to kill you so why would I miss out on such an opportunity?”

“Hilarious, Pidge. I’m touched.” Lance got to his knees and then stood up. “It’s good to know I’m so loved in my own home.” Keith laughed quietly while his back was on the floor. He pushed himself to a sitting position and then got up, remembering why he’d gotten tackled in the first place.

“Pidge, it turns out that-” Keith stopped when arms wrapped around his waist. He turned his head towards Lance.

“Do it, I dare you.”

“I beat him in the state championship for baseball in high school,” Keith managed through being tickled and he prayed that Pidge understood him. And judging from the way Pidge raised one eyebrow and grinned, they seemed to get it. 

“This is fabulous information to have. Thank you, Keith,” and Pidge walked away, with nothing more to say. Keith sighed with relief and then he felt his side get pinched and he squirmed enough to finally get away. 

“Yeah, _thanks_ Keith.”

“De nada,” Keith cocked his head and Lance froze. He rubbed at his side and gathered his bags as he left Lance standing in front of the doorway. He walked the halls with ease, he realized, and when he was about to open the door, he heard voices. They didn’t seem to be really saying anything coherent as the sound of the beds being jumped on contributed the greatest to the noise behind the door.

That, and it sounded like Spanish.

Keith felt his heart go into his chest, unsure of what the hell was going on, but he decided to open the door anyway. Once he did and entered the room, the sounds of the beds being jumped on stopped. He found himself looking at two kids, a boy and a girl. They stared at him before the little girl ran and leapt off the bed, falling flat on her face. Keith dropped his bag and he made his way over to where she stayed. “Hey, are you okay?” He crouched down and watched as she pressed her palms into the floor and pushed herself to a sitting position, a familiar brown shade of hair done in pigtails. She looked at Keith and kept looking and then, to Keith’s surprise and relief, she smiled.

“Eres tan lindo!” She exclaimed and showed off the fact that two of her teeth were missing.

Keith cocked his head, a familiar sensation welling in his chest. “What do you mean?”

“‘You’re so cute’ is basically what she said. Or pretty,” said the boy, as he made his way over. “She’s complimenting you.”

“Ah, gracias,” Keith sounded out. He smiled smally and then he lost the smile because he realized why the sensation was so familiar. It was because he’d heard those words earlier that day. His breath hitched and before he could do anything to react, the little girl stood up and took his hand. She looked at her brother.

“Let’s take him to meet mamá!” And before the boy could respond, she took off and Keith hurriedly launched himself to his feet, stumbling before regaining his footing as he was taken down familiar halls and in the direction of the kitchen.

“¡No puedo creer que estés aquí!” came from Lance.

“¡Y yo no puedo creer que haya tenido que enterarme de tu primera relación amorosa seria por las redes sociales!” Keith stiffened at the sound of a woman’s voice.

“Escucha, hermanita-”

“No, tú escucha. ¡E igual es una buena oportunidad para que tus sobrinos vean a su tío!”

“Mentirosa, solamente quieres los detalles sobre mi vida amorosa tú-”

“Mamá!” Sounded from the little girl, alerting her mother they were there. Lance and the woman stopped arguing with one another and they looked at the girl who held onto Keith. Lance caught Keith’s eye and Keith remembered, his skin growing warm. But he didn’t break eye contact as everyone stood there and the little boy’s footsteps came to a halt behind the girl and Keith. The woman looked at him, sunglasses perched atop her head, beautiful caramel tones intermixed with the same shade of hair as Lance. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe once and then she smiled and Keith almost died, because it was like seeing Lance’s smile. 

She walked away from Lance towards Keith and she held out her hand. “So, you’re the boyfriend, huh?” Keith managed to nod as he felt the little girl still holding his hand. “My name’s Olivia, Olivia Braxton.” Keith gently withdrew his hand from the little girl’s hold and he shook Olivia’s hand.

“Keith Kogane.” The handshake was firm as Olivia smiled warmly, letting go. She motioned her kids to come forward and the little girl moved to stand in front of her as the boy walked over at an easy pace.

“Can you guys introduce yourselves to Keith?”

“My name is Gabriella!” The younger of the siblings exclaimed proudly.

“And I’m Daniel,” came from the boy, a little less enthusiastic than his sister.

Keith had to smile sincerely at the both of them. “It’s nice to meet you all.” And then he looked at Olivia, an apologetic smile gracing his lips. “I’m sorry but how are you related to Lance?” He watched the woman whip her head and glare at Lance, who simply just looked up at the ceiling.

“Well, I’m Lance’s older sister,” and she cocked her head, smiling. “And these are my children, or the niece and nephew of _him_.” And she pointed behind her without looking.

“It’s not nice to point, Olivia,” sounded from Lance and she waited a few seconds before bringing her arm back to her side.

“Oh, the fellow art major?” Keith asked after remembering what Hunk had told him. Olivia’s face genuinely lit up and she approached Keith, hair bouncing softly and he noticed just how beautiful she was. 

“Get out,” she said, a sparkle in her eye. “ _You’re telling me_ my brother’s dating an art major?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Lance asked as he came over and Keith became startled at how Daniel practically ran at Lance and Lance caught him in his arms, smiling before giving a look to his sister. 

“That just means we can both discuss the art of managing to be around you and how difficult it is.”

“Great, another person in this house who wants to rag on me.” He sighed and then laughed, arguing with Daniel as he climbed onto Lance’s shoulders. “At least Daniel’s with me, tío Lance.”

“I’m with you too,” Gabriella said as she clung onto one of Lance’s legs. Keith smiled softly and Olivia slapped a hand to her chest.

“Betrayed by my own children. I’m hurt.”

“It’s your fault that you’re not cooler than me.” At that, Olivia raised an eyebrow and Keith snorted. Lance cocked his head, smiling an easy kind of smile, one really not to be seen. “What, you don’t think I’m cool, Keith?”

“He knows what’s up,” and Olivia tilted her head in Keith’s direction as she spoke. “And don’t say the sky or I will throw you in the pool.”

“Yeah, right-” Olivia cracked her knuckles and Keith realized how toned her arms were.

“I’ve done it before and I will do it again.”

“Whatever,” and Lance stood there, a seven year old boy on his shoulders and a five year old girl on his leg, acting as if it was the most comfortable position in the world. “Anyways,” he tilted his head back to look at Daniel and then tilted his head to look down at Gabriella, “what do you guys want to do?”

“Swimming!” They said and Olivia joined them, earning a glare from her younger brother.

“Actually, Keith and I haven’t eaten lunch yet so I’m going to make-”

“Lance, no,” came from Olivia and Keith simultaneously. They looked at one another in understanding. 

“ _Oh_ , _so you know_.”

“He’s set off the fire alarm twice since I’ve been here,” Keith said, as he turned his body to face Olivia. She nodded thoughtfully. 

“I see. When we were younger, he almost burned down the house and, hey, Lance, do you still have that chancla mark on your a-” She turned to Lance who froze.

“No. And you guys didn’t let me finish! I was going to make sandwiches.”

“Don’t let him make anything. If he gets a knife in his hand, I will light myself on fire,” came from Pidge, as they entered the kitchen. They were wearing army green shorts and a loose type of white top, different from the more semi-professional thing they usually had going. Their hair was in a ponytail and they came over, placing themself next to Olivia and they acknowledged each other accordingly, from having met a couple times before.

“And aside from the puns, he cut himself on the peeler twice this morning,” added Keith, and Olivia placed her hands on her hips. She tutted for a few seconds, shaking her head.

“ _Thanks_ Keith,” said Lance, as he lifted Daniel off of his shoulders.

“You should be thanking him unironically. You’re a hazard to yourself,” noted Pidge, leaning against the countertop. Lance rolled his head on his shoulders before looking down and removing Gabriella from his leg. He kneeled down before her and said something to her and then she walked over to Pidge, who looked like they were about to leave.

“My name’s Gabriella,” she piped up, smiling, and Pidge adjusted their glasses.

“Oh, that’s nice.” Pidge smiled, a little stiffly, before staring directly at Lance. They moved their mouth, saying something without a doubt strewn with obscenities when they froze as Gabriella put her hand on Pidge’s leg. 

“Like from High School Musical.” Keith watched as Pidge broke down, falling to the floor and landing on their knees. They placed one hand on Gabriella’s shoulders.

“Nice,” they affirmed, and then glared at Lance. “I’m going to-”

“Well, everyone, Keith and I are going to make lunch so go do something and have fun!” Olivia pushed Keith into the kitchen as Lance objected loudly.

“Tell him anything embarrassing and I’m going to tell your children the things you told me when I was little!”

“Please, my kids are smart, they’ll know you’re lying.” Olivia and Lance looked at each other and Lance walked off without breaking eye contact and Keith stood there. There was kind of a silence and then the kids sounded excited again and Hunk entered the kitchen with both kids in his arms.

“Hey, Olivia,” he grinned.

“Hunk,” she smiled, “How’s it been?”

“Pretty good. Need any help with-”

“She doesn’t need any help. She took Keith with her,” called out Lance from where he was unseen. “You’re on my team, Hunk, the traitors have formed their side! I have the kids and you! Let’s go!” And Hunk laughed before saying bye and leaving the kitchen with Daniel and Gabriella.

“Aye, those kids of mine,” Olivia sighed as she put her hair up. “Now, let’s make some lunch, shall we?”

“Sure,” and Keith smiled genuinely. Olivia busied herself with getting ingredients out of the refrigerator and Keith put his hair up instinctively. He watched as she retrieved lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, roast beef and turkey slices, and a loaf of bread. She set it all down and then she exited the kitchen, hearing voices after hers and then she came back.

“Looks like we’re making seven sandwiches,” she said, as she pressed down on one finger with another, her baby blue nails apparent. “So, let’s get started.” She opened the bag of bread and took out most of the slices and put them on the countertop. “Be a doll and put mayonnaise on six slices because Gabriella doesn’t like it.” Keith fetched a knife and then dipped it into the white jar and began spreading when Olivia asked him, “So, how long have you two been together?”

“Several months,” Keith said, a safe answer that wasn’t too specific.

“Did he really save you from drowning?”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Olivia laughed as Keith finished one slice and moved onto another one. 

“That’s just like my brother.” She then sighed, and started cutting up a tomato. The knife hit the cutting board a few times before she spoke again. “Still, my brother doesn’t seem to be able to flirt and he found you. That’s something,” she set aside the slices of tomato and began cutting into another one. “You must really like my brother.”

Keith set down his fifth slice of bread and moved onto the last, telling himself to not hesitate in his actions. He could hear everything kind of go silent and he answered, “Yeah.” It didn’t matter if he was lying or telling the truth, it was all the same to Olivia.

“You seem like a good guy for my brother. Finally, someone who can stand up to more of his nonsense with me,” she finished cutting and Keith looked at her as he set the last slice down. “So, what do you like about him?” There it was: the question he’d been afraid of. He closed the mayonnaise jar and set the knife into the sink. He was about to say something when Lance’s sister went, “Keith? If you don’t want to tell me, that’s perfectly okay to do so. I mean-”

“I like his smile,” Keith blurted, and he wondered if he’d said it too loudly for Lance to hear. He turned his head, listening, and Olivia laughed behind him.

“Don’t worry, he’s probably not listening. The kids probably have him preoccupied.” Keith turned back to her, a little flustered, and she began putting the meat onto slices of bread. “Tell me more.”

“Don’t tell him but I kind of like his face.”

“That’s the good old McClain genes at work right there.” She presented Keith with a finger gun and he became a little more relaxed.

“They help with all the puns,” Keith added, watching as she finished with the roast beef and started with the turkey.

“I’d imagine,” she snorted, and everything seemed safer.

“He’s also very caring, in a strangely perceptive way,” Keith added softly. “In his own way.” Olivia froze as Keith kept talking, as he looked at the clock on the stove. “When he saved me from drowning when we...met,” and Keith thought about the phone call. “And he tried to make me breakfast today and I ended up having to cook, which was fun, and he got me out of being hit on, in a protective way. Not at all silly,” Keith scratched at the inside of his arm slowly. “He also really loves the ocean, which is a plus, and he talks about it like he sees the world in it.”

“Maybe that’s also because he met you in it.” 

“Maybe-” and Keith stopped, removing his hand from his arm and letting it drop down to his side, remembering the lie. “But, I also like his confidence, albeit, at times, it really gets out of hand, he knows how to carry himself.” He moved on and it was painful.

Olivia listened as she opened the head of lettuce. She smiled to herself, humming. “I can’t believe he found you.” She tilted her head, smiling a closed-lip smile in his direction.

“Me neither.” The words tasted bittersweet leaving his mouth. He watched as she put the lettuce over the meat on the sandwiches and then she looked at Keith.

“Want to do the tomatoes?” He nodded, realizing he’d been talking about Lance instead of helping with lunch.

“Yes,” he managed, and he placed the tomatoes on top of the lettuce in the sandwiches. Olivia moved to place the cutting board in the sink and came back with the knife as Keith put the top bread on all the sandwiches. She cut them in half with efficiency and then looked to Keith.

“Can you grab some plates, please?” He produced seven from various spots and Olivia put all the sandwiches on. She then put a handful of chips on each plate from a bag she’d located while Keith had looked for the plates. “Ok, they’re ready!” Keith went to pick up some plates but watched as Olivia picked up five without breaking a sweat. “Waitressing,” she winked and Keith nodded in awe while grabbing two plates.

He followed her as she made her way out towards the back where the pool was and there were trees where everyone was sitting about in the shade. Olivia, for some reason, picked up her pace and ended up distributing plates to the kids, Hunk, Pidge, and herself. Keith caught up and handed one of his plates to Lance. “Thanks,” he nodded. Keith took a deep breath before sitting next to him.

Olivia seated herself on the other side of Lance, next to Hunk, and she began eating and so did everyone else. Keith bit into his when Lance next to him went, “Why is there tomato in mine? I don’t like tomato.” Everyone but the McClain family tensed and Keith wondered if this was a test.

“I put it in there because I do. Just give it to me, babe, like you always do,” Keith spoke and did his best to look calm as Lance met his eyes. He handed over his tomato without another word and Keith heard Pidge sigh across from him. After that, they ate without anymore problems. 

They waited for a couple hours before really doing anything else except for talking and then the kids absolutely demanded to get the pool time they came for. “These kids of mine,” Olivia shook her head.

“Yeah, they’re definitely your kids,” Lance said as he left to go get changed, taking Keith with him. They didn’t talk at all as Lance led the way and when they entered the room, Lance went to the closet. He emerged and handed Keith the trunks he wore at the beach. “Go change in the bathroom,” he said and then he went back to the closet.

“Thanks,” Keith sounded and he entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He clenched the swim trunks in his hand and softly went, “ _Fuck_.”

And outside in the bedroom, Lance said the exact same thing.

In the bathroom, Keith took a deep breath before changing, doing his best to keep at pace that wouldn’t make him be in the bathroom for too long. Once he put the trunks on, he took off his shirt and then once he gathered Lance’s clothes in his arms, he put his hand on the door knob. He took one last deep breath before he opened the door and stepped into Lance’s bedroom. 

“Why are you wearing a shirt?” came from Keith before he could stop himself.

“Well, you always complain how I’m naked,” Lance spoke as he hooked a finger in the neck of his plain gray t-shirt. He let the shirt puff out and then he let go, and it fell back against his torso.

“Right,” Keith responded, beginning to regret what he’d said earlier but it was only instinct. The air grew oddly quiet and Keith set Lance’s clothes on the bed. He messed with the material and then he remembered how Lance had complimented him earlier in Spanish. He swallowed, curiosity telling him to find out just what else Lance had meant. But before he could, Lance spoke.

“Good job on covering the fact you didn’t know that I hated tomatoes, earlier, by the way,” and Keith turned his head, his hair swishing and tickling the back of his neck. Lance looked at him with a cocked head.

“Um, thanks,” said Keith, and then Lance smiled.

“It looks like you’ve managed to trick my sister.”

Keith shut his eyes. “Lance-”

“And it looks like you calling me babe totally worked,” Lance sounded and Keith opened his eyes. “You should probably call me that from now on in public, you know, so people don’t suspect anything.” Keith’s spirits rose then fell in a matter of seconds and he looked out the window as he reminded himself that it was all for the sake of a facade. “Anyways, we should probably head back. The kids are probably already in the pool,” came from Lance and Keith shook himself out of it.

They left the bedroom and found their way back to the pool where Hunk was in the pool with the kids, splashing around as Olivia relaxed on a long chair, her black and white sundress sitting on the chair next to her as she stayed perfectly still in a navy green one piece. Pidge sat in the shade, reading a book, with a glass of lemonade on the table next to them.

“Tío Lance!” called Daniel from the pool. “Come in!” Keith tore his eyes away from the sun that seemed to be disappearing due to the way the house was built. And when he did, he found himself watching Lance as he took off his shirt and he sucked in a small breath. The gray fell to the floor and Lance began walking towards the chlorine when he stopped and turned his body towards Keith.

When he came closer, Keith didn’t know how to react. “Come on,” said Lance and then, to Keith’s surprise, Lance picked up Keith in his arms.

“Lance, what are you-” Keith shut up as soon as he saw them getting closer to the water. “I will-”

“You’ll what?” asked Lance as he stopped at the edge and Keith could hear the water beneath him. Lance began to let go and Keith threw his arms around Lance’s neck, taking him down with him. 

The water was incredibly cold.

That, and it stung as it went up Keith’s nose, causing him to flail to the surface. He coughed, his hair covering his eyes. He parted his hair so he could see and then the next thing he knew, Lance popped up next to him. “To finish my sentence, I’ll take you down with me,” Keith said, as he planted his feet onto the pool floor.

“Your hair looks ridiculous,” Lance spat out some pool water. “You look like a wet dog.”

“I have you to thank for that,” and Keith splashed Lance, who sputtered.

“Who do you think-” Keith did his best to keep his head above the water as Daniel clung onto Lance’s back. He laughed and then Lance laughed, as Hunk made his way over with Gabriella on his shoulders. Her pink and purple water wings pressed against Hunk’s ears as she held onto his hair. 

“Let’s play a game!” Daniel announced and Gabriella cheered.

“All right, what should we play?”

“Marco Polo,” came from Hunk and Daniel as they grinned at one another. 

“Fine,” declared Lance, and they played without issue. They played for the longest time and then Keith got out, realizing the sky was a dusty tone, meaning the sun was close to setting. He breathed in, then out, and found Pidge still reading in the same spot.

“Hey,” he managed, taking a chair next to Pidge.

“Hey.” They looked at him and then back at their book. They read as Keith squeezed the water out of his hair, squeezing until the tip repeatedly to get the excess chlorinated water out of his hair. Then, as Keith finished, Pidge looked at their watch. “We should probably order dinner.”

“Dinner?” exclaimed Lance and the kids as the placed their hands on the border of the pool. 

Pidge mainly gave Lance a look and then went, “I’m going to order pizza.” They got up and took their book with them. 

“Pidge didn’t even ask us what we wanted,” Lance said as he lifted Gabriella onto the painted cement and Daniel climbed out. “Don’t run,” he called after them and Keith watched as they went to their mother who was looking at her phone.

Hunk had exited the pool a little earlier and Keith looked at the windows, before turning his head after hearing a splash of water. He found himself looking at Lance as he pushed himself up out of the water with his arms, dripping wet. His hair was slicked back and Keith averted his eyes immediately.

Lance climbed out like it was nothing and then he shook his hair like a dog, droplets landing on Keith. “Dude, watch where you do that,” said Keith, mildly annoyed at having to look back at Lance, mildly conflicted. 

“Sorry,” he said, wiping water from his face and then he let his eyes meet Keith’s. He arched an eyebrow. “Babe.” Keith felt his eyes widen and then the kids ran past as Olivia walked behind them.

“Heard we’re getting pizza,” she smiled. “Nice.” And then she took off, leaving the two of them. Lance went in behind them after grabbing a towel and Keith waited a minute before following everyone else inside. 

Everyone sat at the dinner table once they were deemed dry enough and the kids ran around for a little bit as Hunk and Olivia talked, clearly happy to see one another again. Pidge rested their chin on one hand as they kept reading and Keith got roped into playing card games with Lance.

It was frustrating, since Lance kept winning, and he just kept wearing a shit eating grin and Keith could feel Pidge telling him to beat Lance so he would stop. “It must be rough, playing against the best cards player you know,” Lance said, as he dealt out another game of speed.

Keith groaned and he slicked his hair back, just so his bangs would get out of his face.

Lance’s breath hitched and before he knew it, he lost.

“You can’t be the best if I beat you,” Keith smiled and Lance knew he was fucked.

The doorbell sounded only seconds after and Pidge shut their book, leaving the room and coming back as Lance arranged another game. There were two boxes in their arms and they set them down at the table as the kids appeared on either side of Pidge, excitement on their faces.

It smelled good as the warm aroma of bread and cheese and tomato sauce spread in the air. Keith licked his lower lip and then he looked at Lance who held up his hand. “I just don’t like tomato,” he whispered, “like the fruit. Everything else is a-okay.” He made the sign with his left hand and Keith felt relief flood through his body. Keith nodded and then plates were produced, everyone getting a slice.

Gabriella ate in little bites, Olivia encouraging her to eat so that it didn’t get cold at first but then she stopped, explaining pizza tasted good cold or warm. 

“True,” said Lance, as he pointed a finger gun at his sister. She clicked her tongue and mimicked the motion at Lance, winking as she did so. Keith smiled at the exchange as he ate and everyone ate, Pidge beating everyone else to a second slice. “You didn’t even swim,” Lance noted.

“I’m hungry,” Pidge bit down on their slice, not bothering to look at Lance.

“Yeah, we were too,” came from Gabriella and Daniel nodded next to her.

“Looks like we were all hungry,” Lance grinned. “It looks like _we’re all in this together_.”

Pidge remained calm as Lance jolted slightly, wincing. Keith pretended to pick something off the floor and he witnessed Pidge put their foot back on the floor, and Keith laughed. He sat back up and Lance just looked at him. “How dare you laugh at my pain.”

Keith caught Pidge’s eyes and they gave each other a look of understanding. “Don’t think I can’t see you,” came from Lance as he ate once more. Everyone ate a slice or two and then after waiting a bit, everyone was back in the pool, except for Hunk and Pidge who went off to go do something else.

Olivia sat on the stairs of the pool and the blue of the sky lingered as the orange and green became of a faded essence. From what Keith could tell, the sun had set, and the water felt good in the bask of a warm evening. He was more in the deep end, as Lance and Daniel raced one another back and forth and Gabriella stayed closer to Olivia. Keith simply floated in the deep end, watching his limbs in the water. After a bit, Daniel asked him to race with him and Keith did.

It was fun since they seemed to be even and Lance took a break, sitting next to Olivia on the stairs, as he talked sweetly to Gabriella. He made her laugh and Keith’s heart fluttered once he reached the opposite end of the pool. He placed his palm against the wall and curled his fingers. After Daniel returned to his family, Keith let himself float on his back.

The water in its constant state of movement caused Keith to listen to nothing below as he watched the sky turn dark and he closed his eyes, grateful not to be able to hear much. And after a bit, out of the blue, Lance appeared over him and he thrashed, pulling himself under before coming up again. “Smooth,” Lance commented. Before Keith could retort, Lance went, “We’re going to play Marco Polo.”

“Fine,” Keith said and he was immediately dubbed it. He swam around about, doing his best to make it look like he wasn’t trying to avoid Lance. He didn’t get anyone as he moved around, hindered by the glowing blue water. And his eyes fluttered open when he heard Olivia tell the kids it was time to get ready for bed. They groaned and splashes could be heard as Keith looked up at the sky, now black, and then looked at the illuminated water surrounding him. The lights had gone and it felt surreal, only realizing it as Olivia and her kids headed inside. The few stars were barely visible if Keith concentrated hard enough and didn’t look at the chlorinated water surrounding him. It felt good to float, bathed in light, as the sky produced none from above.

“So, should we keep playing?” came from Lance, as he swam up next to Keith. “Marco Polo?”

“There’s only two of us,” Keith pointed out, as he moved closer to the stairs of the pool. He got to the middle of the pool where the water stopped halfway down his chest and then he felt water hit his back. He turned his head sideways and eyed Lance. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Water hit the side of Keith’s face. He came up next to him and Keith just watched Lance. He splashed at Keith again and then Keith took the bait. He splashed at Lance who dunked himself to avoid getting hit, resurfacing, his hair all over the place. “Ha, you didn’t get me!”

“You literally got yourself, you idiot,” said Keith softly.

“I didn’t splash myself.”

“No, you submerged yourself. You got even more wet,” and Keith smiled, splashing at Lance lightly with the tip of his fingers. “Now I got you,” he said, and he turned to leave. It was then that he heard a splash and then a hand wrapped around his ankle, pulling him under. 

Everything about being underwater was bright. Keith released a stream of bubbles from his nose and once they cleared, he opened his eyes to see Lance in front of him, holding onto Keith’s ankle. And his eyes were open too.

Keith panicked and did his best to go up which resulted in him kicking at Lance, his foot pressing down at the front near his hip bone on one side, which caused Lance’s trunks to slide down lopsidedly over his right hip bone. It was then that Keith saw the tattoo. 

He pushed himself up off Lance’s thigh and broke the surface, pushing his hair back with his hand as he made his way towards the stairs, pausing as Lance caused a splash by coming up for air. 

“Holy shit,” gasped Lance behind him and Keith turned, telling himself not to. Being in the water made everything feel slower and Lance ran a hand through his hair as he looked down before looking at Keith. The water glowed pale blue in essence as they looked at one another, the water forever moving around them. The warmth of the night hit their shoulders and Keith breathed.

“So, you have a tattoo?” The question floated and Lance’s eyes widened. He looked about before answering.

“Yeah,” and he wiped droplets of water from his jawbone, distractedly. “I do.”

Keith’s breath hitched. “I think I understand the wave but,” he licked his lips, “what does estrella de mar mean?” Lance felt his skin warm as he stood there, listening to Keith.

“It means sea star,” and he didn’t look at Keith.

“Oh,” Keith tasted the brief response on his tongue, rolling it around in his mouth. “Why do you have-” Keith stopped as Lance made his way past him, wading to the stairs. 

“Not now,” he said as he passed. It was strange in its own right and Keith stood in the pool silently as Lance exited, water hitting the cement as he did so. Keith breathed in, then out, and turned around to continue his path to the stairs.

He exited the pool, the cool of the water running down his back from his hair as the warmth of the night reclaimed his body. Keith’s fingers found his hair once more and they squeezed, excess water crashing to the ground alongside the water that dripped from the heavy material of his trunks. Lance’s footsteps faded and a door opened and shut as Keith finished wringing out his hair.

A few minutes passed before Keith managed to compose himself, shoulders faintly tense as he opened the door and entered the dining room. It was to his surprise that he found Lance sitting at the counter, Olivia rummaging through the cabinets. Lance’s voice was more prominent as Olivia busied herself, childless, with finding something.

She spotted Keith and waved him over with a grin. Keith cautiously crossed over, desperate to put a chair between him and Lance, but he knew he had to sit next to him. Lance looked at him out of the corner of his eye and the ghost of a smile made Keith feel slightly better.

“Lance, where is the-”

“It’s in the cabinet closest to the ground,” he said and she immediately went over. Upon opening it, her face lit up. Keith watched curiously as she removed bottles of alcohol.

“I think it’s time for us to drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, i love the people who talk to me about this on tumblr:
> 
> \- nick (chambe5r-the-5-is-silent): thank you for being my beta reader and fixing things!
> 
> \- dai (crownedfaun): thank you for translating!! 
> 
> \- emma (peridots-laugh): thank you for helping me with the tattoo dilemma bless
> 
> and thank you to everyone who enjoys this and everyone who talks to me because you guys, i truly love writing this fic and i'm excited so when you tell me you love it, i love you because holy shit
> 
> thank you
> 
> please come talk to me @ bluethisisforyou on tumblr!


	7. and they realized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was one of the last few actions before everyone fell asleep in the living room; Lance fell asleep last because the more he looked at Keith, the more he realized that he was feeling something more than pretend.
> 
> Something more than liking Keith Kogane.
> 
> But Lance could never say it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this chapter is 7k, thus putting the fic at 50k after just one month and i???
> 
> thank you so much to everyone who reblogged that post because not only did this fic get 140 hits to reach 4k, but it got 250 extra and i'm so grateful!!! it has been amazing writing this fic and i would also like to point out since i last updated, this fic has received 42 more subscriptions and i'm so pleased!!!
> 
> i hope you all enjoy chapter 7!
> 
> p.s. my tumblr is @ bluethisisforyou

Everything about night was vulnerable, and even more so since Olivia had put her proposal on the table.

Every single introduction to alcohol and what was smart drinking told Keith that it wasn’t a good idea, to say the least. Working at a bar taught him so and he didn’t completely endorse what he was like when he was drunk. He was too...affectionate. Everything from his past told him to firmly say no.

But he didn’t.

“It’ll be fun,” Olivia said as she poured. “The kids are asleep and I think this will be an interesting bonding experiment.” She winked as she passed over a shot of clear liquid to both Lance and Keith. “Also, we won’t get like drunk or anything.” Keith just gave a look to Lance, who in turn pretended to look offended. “Anyways,” she picked up her drink and Keith followed Lance, a little gingerly in doing so. “Cheers,” and they clinked the tiny glasses before downing the first shot of the night.

It was simple at first, as they took more drinks to the living room. They each drank a beer and Keith talked with Olivia about art. Lance took up most of the space on the couch, as he propped his feet on Keith’s lap. Every drink of beer set Keith on edge as he continued drinking, an excuse not to talk for a bit as Olivia talked about what she liked in college.

“I absolutely loved Frida Kahlo. Her work was just incredible and so out there. I also loved pretty much every piece of art I ever set my eyes on.” She finished her beer first while talking the most and then she opened another one, drinking as she talked about what she loved. “My passion is watercolor and I worked my ass off to get that shit right because water is like so fucking tricky-”

“I know, it’s so slippery,” offered Lance after he took another shot, his sentences beginning to have less cohesion to them. “Like, it’s crazy.” Olivia finished her beer like she needed it and Keith began to feel something set in but he ignored it as he opened another beer.

About an hour later, everyone was feeling something, and it was vulnerability.

Lance had moved to sitting right next to Keith, arms pressed against one another and he rested his head on Keith’s shoulder. Olivia, amazingly, still went on about art despite being out of it. “And fucking Monet! All those little dots. I would’ve died before even finishing one painting!” She held her pointer finger out forcefully and then withdrew after several seconds. “Man art’s a fucking trip. I’ll tell you something, art is all over and I think that’s absolutely amazing. I really do.” Keith listened partly since he was busy reaching across his chest to feel Lance’s hair.

“God, it’s so soft,” he whispered and Lance moved in at the touch, pressing against Keith’s fingertips. “It’s so soft like it’s not there, you know? Like water, like that sensation where it’s there but there’s nothing at all. It’s that soft.”

“I sea,” Lance laughed at his own joke and Keith removed his hand, something coming back to him. His heart fluttered as Lance nuzzled his head briefly and he almost didn’t say anything. But he did because he remembered he was curious.

“You never told me, but why did you get your tattoo?” Keith looked at Lance as he lifted his head looking at Keith as if he was the only person in the room. He blinked slowly and Keith noticed how pretty his eyelashes were and he was tempted to kiss Lance and never have his question answered.

“Hold the fuck up,” came from behind Keith, and he turned his head. Olivia looked at her brother. “You got a tattoo?” She paused for a few seconds. “Mom’s gonna fucking kill you.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her?” asked Lance, the question a sign something had kicked in. “Besides, she won’t even see it Olivia,” he said, as he fell back against the couch cushion. “It’s somewhere...secret.”

“You disgust me,” Olivia jabbed a finger at her brother, staying like that as Keith watched her.

“It’s near my hipbone towards the front...where the hem of my trunks are.”

“What does it even say?”

“Nothing,” said Lance.

“Estrella de...mar.” Keith offered. “Sea star.” The sound of hearing Olivia’s empty beer bottle hit the floor made Keith jump, and he clung to Lance’s arm. He nestled his head in before turning to look at Olivia, who had a fucking shit eating grin on her face.

“Thanks, Keith,” Lance started, in an indiscernible tone and then Olivia laughed.

“You’re such a momma’s boy! That’s so incredible, holy shit.”

“Since he won’t answer me, do you know why he got the tattoo?” Keith asked, fingers still pressed against Lance’s bare arm. “Do you?” Olivia cocked her head and then shut her eyes as she stretched her arms over her head, tilting them sideways and her joints cracked. After she finished, she fixed herself so that she was sitting cross legged on the cushion, preparing herself for what looked like the greatest story anyone would ever tell. She cleared her throat, a little loudly, and then began.

“Okay so, first off, me and him are like six years apart. So, when I was eleven, that 23 year old you’re dating was five and he fucking loved space. He would not shut about about the stars and aliens and everything and at one point, I’ll admit, I got sick of it. So I told him that a common phrase for his love was ‘Give me some space’ and he went around saying it to everyone. I lost it every time but I got grounded for like an entire year once our mom found out I had turned my little brother into what seemed to be an angry and antisocial little boy. Our mom had to explain the whole thing to everyone and Lance went on being him, excited and I eventually realized it was good for him.

“He loved space so much and swore he would visit it one day. And then, our whole family decided to go to the beach one day. Well, it was Lance’s first time and he just would not stop running for the waves. So everyone took turns going with him and he almost turned into a little prune-”

“Did not,” Lance muttered and Keith adjusted his position so that he was lying comfortably against Lance’s side.

“Don’t interrupt me, please. And so, I was sitting on the blanket with our mom and she was just so happy to see him so enthralled with the ocean. When he was finally forced to sit with us on the blanket, our mom dried his hair and she went, ‘You were so bright and beautiful out there. You were like a star that belongs to the sea’ and Lance just was like struggling to get back to the ocean.”

“Olivia,” Lance said and Keith could feel Lance’s skin go warm against his own.

“Anyways, our mom turned to Lance and told him ‘You are a sea star and I think you’re beautiful’ and Lance was like, beaming all the way home. He refused to be called Lance for the next three years of his life by our family members. Like he was a little prince or something.”

“Seriously, I think he gets it,” Lance looked at Keith, who just watched him, smiling a warm smile once Lance looked at him.

“We would go out to dinner and he would refuse to eat seafood because he thought they were his friends. I was denied seafood a good portion of my life and I did not appreciate that, let me tell you.” Olivia glared at her brother. “That shit that comes out of the sea is amazing and I honestly refused to eat anything but seafood during my first year of college. And because of that deprivation, I got super sick around a really important midterm and flunked a class. All because of him.”

Keith laughed as he turned his head so that his cheek rested against Lance’s bare shoulder. “Look, I’m like ninety-eight percent certain that was your fault because you failed to exercise self-control-”

“Sure thing, estrella de mar,” she said, leaning her chin into the palm of her hand. “Well, there you go Keith. That’s the story that inspired my stupid brother’s tattoo.”

“Excuse you,” said Lance, and Keith watched as his jaw moved. It was almost like magic and Keith raised his fingertips to Lance’s moving jaw, as he gently grabbed a hold of Lance’s chin and drew it towards him.

Keith didn’t know if it was the alcohol talking or him as he tilted his head up to press a light kiss on the corner of Lance’s mouth.

It was soft and a little prolonged, as he broke it off, going, “That was a cute story.” He grinned a little lopsidedly and he moved Lance’s head back like he hadn’t just kissed him. “Cute,” he added, looking at Olivia, when all of a sudden he was pushed over and he felt his head hit the back of the headrest. “What the f-” After a second or two, Keith realized Lance was kissing him, hard with his lips. Keith slightly parted his lips in order to breathe and the taste of alcohol on both their breaths made it intoxicating. They almost got away with something, but someone cleared their throat.

Lance broke off the kiss sloppily and he turned his head to find his sister looking at the both of them, bored. “Yes?”

“While I’m happy you guys love each other, maybe don’t do this while I’m here. After all, I did travel for several hours to get here.” All Keith could do was look at Lance, flushing a little when Olivia said that they loved each other.

Did he love Lance? Did Lance love him? As much as he felt like that was the case, something was lingering in the back of his head, but his mind was elsewhere and his heart right there on the couch.

Meanwhile, Lance went, “So, should we play cards or…?”

“I was thinking something better,” Olivia tilted her head, smiling. “Something much better.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Lance said after hearing his sister’s proposition.

“I haven’t heard you play in a while,” came from Olivia as she stood, stumbling slightly before retrieving a guitar case hidden behind her chair. “Come on.”

“Is this why you got me drunk?”

“Maybe,” Olivia acknowledged as she sat back down.

“I’m being taken advantage of,” Lance managed, pausing part way to shut his eyes and contemplate his words. Keith thought he looked pretty even when his face was scrunched and he laughed lightly as he rested his head on Lance’s shoulder after they’d both sat up.

“Here,” Olivia started, fumbling for the zipper of the case to get it after missing it a grand total of five times. She opened the case and pulled out a guitar and almost dropped it on the coffee table. Instead, it nearly landed on Lance’s toes and he shrieked. “Shut up, oh my god, everyone in the world will hear you.”

“Oh jesus christ,” Lance managed, as he pressed a palm to his temple. He stayed still for a little bit before picking up the guitar and laying it across his lap. After a minute, he positioned it and Keith had no choice but to move to avoid being hit by the instrument. He let his fingers run against the strings choppily before Olivia clicked her tongue and poorly threw a pick that hit Lance in the neck. “Good shot,” he noted, as he picked it up.

“Shut up and play.”

Lance gave his sister a look before he began strumming and then plucked the chords coherently. The sound of the song started slow and then it picked up rhythm, a song Keith believed Juanes sang. His heart fluttered as Lance deftly plucked at the strings and played the rhythm for a bit and he looked slowly over at Olivia, who was smiling with her eyes shut. Keith watched with complex fascination as Lance’s fingers moved expertly, dancing in a way that resulted in music.

Then he opened his mouth and began to sing.

_Que mis ojos se despierte_

_con la luz de tu mirada._

_Yo a Dios le pido._

Keith sat back against the couch cushion as he listened, smiling. Hearing Lance sing was amazing and he watched as Olivia smiled into her hand. She swayed for a bit before joining her brother in singing rather flawlessly and Keith felt chills run up and down his spine. It was a whole new experience entirely.

_Que mi madre no se muera_

_y que mi padre me recuerde._

_A Dios le pido_

He strummed, singing and before Keith knew it, he was pulled off the couch. “Dance with me,” said Olivia, smiling as if nothing would make her happier. He blinked at her slowly as she took the lead, wrapping her arm around Keith’s waist and she spun around, singing as well.

Keith prayed at first that she would stop spinning but then he got used to it and danced with her. Olivia spun him around and he laughed when he fell on her chair. He got up and continued dancing as Lance played and sang.

Lance couldn’t help but smile as he sang, watching Keith as he sang a set of the lyrics close to the end.

_Un segundo mas de vida para darte_

_y mi corazón entero entregarte,_

_un segundo mas de vida para darte_

_y a tu lado para siempre yo quedarme,_

_un_ _segundo mas de vida..._

_Yo a Dios le pido_

He watched Keith, realizing the intention behind his words, and he finished the song ever so softly, as Keith and Olivia finished dancing. “That was wonderful,” Olivia sounded first because Lance and Keith just looked at one another, breathless and a little in awe. “You’re an amazing dancer.”

“Thanks, I did it when I was younger,” Keith smiled gently at Lance before looking at Olivia. The lighting of the room somehow shifted against the dark night sky outside, causing Lance to feel his gaze soften.

Especially when he looked at Keith.

“You’ve got yourself quite the boyfriend,” Olivia snapped her fingers, drawing her brother’s attention. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” he started, giving the same gentle smile at Keith, like the one he had given him earlier. “Yeah, I do.”

“You’re such a sap, what with your boyfriend and your childhood nickname tattoo.” His sister sat back down, almost missing the chair. Lance set the guitar down and he rolled his eyes. Keith, feeling a surge of a sensation, went and sat down next to Lance once more. He breathed in before reaching with his right hand to interlock fingers with Lance’s hand. Lance looked over at him, blinking slowly before a small smile graced his lips.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Keith said, responding to Olivia’s comment.

Then he smiled in return.

It was one of the last few actions before everyone fell asleep in the living room; Lance fell asleep last because the more he looked at Keith, the more he realized that he was feeling something more than pretend.

Something more than liking Keith Kogane.

But Lance could never say it.

At least not in a way that Keith could understand.

Yeah, that would work.

He looked fondly at a sleeping Keith, gently brushing at his hair.

Everything would be fine.

And Lance shut his eyes, sleep finally greeting him at 2:37 am.

Keith woke up first, head absolutely throbbing. He groaned, pressing his forehead into something firm. His fingertips grazed across a warm surface and he turned his head, his cheek finding the same warmth. There was a steady pounding sound that Keith picked up and he let his eyes flutter open in response. He drew his fingers towards the palm of his hand, realizing that his hand was on someone’s chest.

Someone’s bare chest.

He froze, hearing the person’s heartbeat and he tried to push himself up without waking who was beneath him. But as he began to feel even more awake, he felt the arm wrapped around his waist, keeping him close. Keith swallowed lightly and then groaned again, as he tilted his head slowly up against the person’s chest and saw a familiar face still fast asleep.

Keith’s breath hitched as soon as he saw Lance.

The shared body heat became all the more relevant, as the butterflies were let loose in Keith’s stomach, flapping like crazy. He felt every little action, every little breath of his, as it was so close to Lance. He felt his stomach go in and out slowly, accounting for every slow and cautious breath. Everything about being so close made Keith think too much and he did his best to think about what to do.

But it was so hard to even think straight.

Aside from the throbbing headache, he was just hyper aware of the touch of someone he was falling for so quickly. It was hard to relax when every complication about the position Keith was in ran through his head, when he had just agreed to fake dating to spite his boyfriend.

But the intention, Keith had found, faded long ago and he realized it as he listened to the sound of Lance’s heartbeat. It was steady, steady and Keith wasn’t sure if removing himself first was what he wanted deep down in his heart. He bit on his tongue slightly to try and reduce the throbbing as he shut his eyes and pretended like he wasn’t the first to awaken.

He lay there, afraid, that every heartbeat he would hear would be the last because that position he was in finally felt like home. It was a notion that made Keith’s throat go dry, his body urging him to cry. Because now that he had Lance, he didn’t want to let go.

Lance stirred a while later, yawning loudly and then going, “Fuck.” Keith did his best not to let his breathing quicken as the actor yawned once more and he felt Lance’s hand move up to the side of his chest then halt. “Keith,” it was a whisper, “Keith, wake up.”

Keith slowly opened his eyes and slowly tilted his chin upwards to find Lance looking at him. They just kind of looked at one another before Lance smiled and Keith felt his eyes widen a little, but then he clenched them shut as he pushed away, his headache throbbing once again. He sat up and the touch lingered strongly on his body. Keith groaned and Lance went, “Is something the matter?”

“I, uh, I’m super hungover.” He pressed a palm to his temple and rubbed consistently as he leaned forward, his back arching. Lance sucked in a breath for letting his hand reach for Keith’s back, his fingers outstretching, almost creating a new touch when they stopped, realizing Olivia was gone.

All the complications ran through Lance’s head, the fact that Keith had a boyfriend.

There was no need for touch when no one else was there.

Lance laughed a little bitterly to himself, as he felt his throat beginning to go dry and become raw. As Keith turned his head to look at him, Lance forced himself to sit up quickly and then the throbbing in his head hit him like a car and he slammed his palms to his forehead. “Oh, fuck.”

“You too, huh?” Keith asked and Lance told himself to snap out of it while his face was hidden from view. “Well, I’ll go get us some water, and- ugh,” He ended up rocking himself back and forth for a bit before standing up as time and space flooded his head. “Jesus Christ.”

“It’s okay, I’ll get my own,” managed Lance, a little softly, hopelessness irritating Lance as he thought about everything and how it wasn’t real.

“No, it’s fine-” Keith waved it off as he stepped forward and something inside Lance snapped.

“Look, it’s fine, I’ll get it. You don’t have to show you care about me, we’re not out in public, okay?” Lance regretted every word that came out of his mouth but it was done and out in the open. Keith froze, feeling like his breath had been knocked completely out of him. The sensation of wanting to cry began to build up and dread pooled in his stomach like nothing he’d ever felt before. But above all, he felt empty and foolish for thinking and acting the way he had all this time.

He managed to breathe evenly, to act like nothing was wrong. Keith balled his hand into a fist before letting go and he smiled to himself. “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t.” Then he started walking and as much as he hated himself for everything, he began to remember all the hours they had shared together and he stopped.

Ryan didn’t matter anymore.

What mattered was that he was in love with Lance.

And he wasn’t going to be silent about it anymore.

“I don’t have to show that I care but I want-”

Lance heard the first five words and his chest constricted as Keith added on. He prepared to turn his head when suddenly, Daniel and Gabriella came running into the room. “Awww, no fair, tío Lance got to sleep in his trunks!” Daniel said and Keith tensed, hoping the kids hadn’t heard anything. He felt his shoulders relax as Lance greeted them, laughing slightly at something Gabriella said in Spanish. Then, Daniel went, “Mamá, how come we had to change for bed last night?”

“Because your tío doesn’t have standards like we do,” Olivia entered the living room, smiling rather brightly before making eye contact with Lance. He held her stare like nothing was wrong and Keith didn’t dare turn around, for fear she had heard. He instead stood tall and walked off to the kitchen to get just one glass of water for himself.

He filled his glass and drank as he leaned against the counter, the hydration satiating the relief his body was begging for. But, consequently, it fueled the urge to cry. He held it back, however, as he stopped to breathe and take it all in.

Keith was in love with Lance.

He laughed smally to himself, listening to it as it echoed around the kitchen. It was hard to believe but it was sensation Keith couldn’t ignore. The dread lingered but he knew that what he felt wasn’t out of spite towards Ryan. It was real.

Keith breathed in, then out, realizing just where exactly he was at that moment.

It was all so surreal.

He kept drinking his water until it was gone, the sound of the glass hitting the counter reminding him that he was there. That, and the sound of Olivia’s voice. “Keith?” He shut his eyes briefly before turning around at a sane speed to find her across the counter from him. “Are you okay?” Everything seemed less prevalent as Keith received a question he did not think he would get.

“I, uh, yeah,” he managed, unsure of whether to smile, whether or not this was a test.

“That’s good. My brother tends to get kind of cranky during a hangover so, you know, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but,” and she left, Keith wondering where she went when she came back, yanking Lance by the ear.

She pulled him along with no remorse on her face and Lance winced. “Ow, ow. Ow.” Daniel and Gabriella followed behind, impressionable kids watching as their mother dragged their uncle by the ear. Keith raised an eyebrow, an incredible sight to be seeing. Olivia stopped and Lance caught Keith’s eyes before wincing as his sister pulled him once more.

“Okay, Lance, do you have something you want to say to your boyfriend?” Keith’s heart fluttered ever so slightly and he felt a mix of emotions take him over as he stood there, straight faced. Lance sighed and Olivia tugged on his ear. “Come on, apologize.”

“Let go of my ear first, please.” Olivia let go and Lance stood upright once more, rubbing at his ear. He did so for a bit and Keith just gave him a look as Lance held up a pointer finger telling him to wait a minute. Keith, for some reason, scoffed.

“We don’t have all day, Lance.” Olivia said.

“Alright, alright.” He dropped his hand and then looked directly at Keith and the resolute emptiness Keith had known only minutes earlier didn’t feel so real. Lance’s eyes were searching as they simply looked at Keith Kogane, mind running over everything, hoping he could fix how he had acted. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you. It’s just, hangovers are a real bi-” Lance was smacked by Olivia and she folded her hands in front of her after, like she was peacefully standing in church. “Um, look, how is it okay that you can hit me in front of your kids when I can’t say a bad word.”

“That’s not the issue at hand Lance,” she nodded briefly and then looked at Keith. “Well, do you think he’s done with his apology?”

Keith felt tired but the fact that a whisper of hope had reached out to him gave him something to hold onto. “Yeah. I think he’s done.” He allowed a small smile in Lance’s direction. “Thank you for your apology.” Lance nodded slowly at him, the ghost of a smile appearing before it stopped.

The sound of Pidge’s voice entered the room. “It’s nice to see you’re finally up,” they said while looking directly at Lance, who made a face. They then turned to the fridge and before opening it, they nonchalantly looked back at Lance and went, “Your audition is in two hours, by the way.”

“You’re joking, right?” Lance said slowly, deliberately.

Pidge simply went, “No, I’m not. Be ready in an hour and a half. You too, Keith.”

“Is it alright if I use your shower then?” Keith said before he could stop himself. “So that Lance and I can get ready at the same time?”

“Sure thing. Come with me,” Pidge motioned and Keith left with them, not bothering to look back. They stopped so Keith could grab some clothes and he held them tightly as he followed Pidge to their bathroom.

“Thanks,” he nodded before shutting the door behind him. He made himself intake a shaky breath breath as he leaned his back against the door and then he undressed, in a hurried sort of fashion. The shower knobs were no longer a problem since he’d gotten so used to Lance’s.

Keith leaned his head against the shower wall and the hot water ran down his back. His hair became drenched and he watched as his hair hung down around his face, water dripping from pointed and heavy ends. “Shit,” he whispered, as his tears joined the water in falling to the shower floor.

Even if Keith knew that Lance had no right to treat him like that, it still fucking hurt.

And it wasn’t like Lance wasn’t faring any better.

As he stood there under cold water, he laughed bitterly. Keith had a boyfriend and that wasn’t supposed to be a problem because it was all supposed to be fake. “Fuck,” he whispered, feeling the water hit his face. He covered his eyes with his hands and he refused to let his tears hit the shower floor.

Even though Lance had been forced to apologize to Keith, it still meant he’d fucked up.

But Lance knew, in his heart, that Keith couldn’t have felt the same.

They both let their emotions go because there was no better place to hide them.

Keith managed to wash his hair while biting on his lower lip to stop his body from urging him to cry. After he felt moderately prepared to compose himself, he turned off the water. He breathed in before stepping out and drying himself off, rubbing at his hair and remembering that one time Lance had insisted on drying it for him. It made him smile for a second and then he got dressed, trying his best to level his breathing. Once he was done, he put his hair into a ponytail and stared at himself in the mirror for a minute or so, preparing himself to face everyone again. He shut his eyes and noticed that most of the red from his eyes had gone but the longer he looked at himself, the more he wanted to cry.

So he turned away from the mirror and opened the door.

Walking down the empty hallways gave Keith time to breathe. He treated every breath as a precious gift as he moved on, one foot after the other. His stomach clenched slightly when he made the turn to enter the kitchen to find none other than Lance there with Pidge. They were both eating something, a relatively calm aura around the both of them as Keith stepped into the kitchen.

Lance looked at him but didn’t say anything, didn’t smile.

It was all very strange.

“Keith, can you believe this?” came from Pidge after they finished eating. “Lance got ready before you.”

“That can’t be right,” said Keith said, doing his best to try and regain a grip on what was once fine. “Did something happen?” Lance looked at him, raising his eyebrow slightly. Keith did his best to not look like he was trying to tell Lance to act like nothing had happened. “Lance.”

“Uh, no, I felt like going au natural today so the producers see my beauty in its raw state,” Lance smiled and his throat hurt as he did so. Keith cocked his head and smiled smally, throat feeling similarly to Lance’s.

But neither of them knew that the sensation that lingered applied to the other.

“You’re silly,” Keith managed, placing a hand on his waist. “You’re ridiculous.”

“As much as I love ragging on this guy,” Pidge started, picking up their plate. “I think you’d better get something to eat before we go.”

“Gladly,” Keith approached the fridge as Pidge left the room and Lance watched silently. The house was quiet and Keith picked up on it too. “Hey, where’s Olivia and the kids?”

“Hunk took them out for the day,” Lance responded, smiling. “Good riddance.”

“That’s a little mean, don’t you think?” Keith closed to fridge and turned to face Lance. He had a plate of pizza from last night in his hand.

“Keith, you met Olivia right?”

“Yeah, I think she’s fantastic,” Keith smiled a little more genuinely. “Why, what’s wrong?”

“Keith, what in the world makes you say that?”

“Well, last night-” and then the implications of everything last night hit them both at the same time. The affection, the kissing, the singing, the dancing and both of them just kind of froze. They didn’t dare look one another in the eye and Keith moved first, setting down the plate on the counter. He pulled a slice from under a few others and began chewing.

“Right,” Lance finished, since Keith ate so he wouldn’t have to say anything. He chewed, the bread hard tear through and the tomato sauce cold against his tongue. “Boy, you’re really hungry, aren’t you?”

“We drank last night.” Keith swallowed before answering. “Alcohol causes things to happen.”

“Yeah,” Lance said, so softly that Keith had to regard him seriously. His blue eyes met Keith’s. “It does.”

Keith didn’t know what to feel anymore. He didn’t know but one feeling would never go away. He opened his mouth, wanting to say it all, but then he realized it wasn’t the right time. As his lips parted slightly, Lance watched, heart pounding and when they closed, his parted only to come together as Pidge entered the room once more.

“Okay boys, let’s go.” Keith silently tore at the crust as he followed Pidge and Lance out the door.

The ride in the limo was almost bearable, except Lanc overdid it with the puns and jokes, secretly overcompensating for what he’d done earlier. Halfway to the place, Pidge went, “Lance, why. This is awful. I’m dying.”

“Hi dying,” Lance started only to have his face shoved away by Pidge. Keith felt a stir of slight amusement and he laughed lightly, a smile held together briefly as Lance’s torso fell to the seat cushion.

“I would punch you but this audition is too important.”

“Gee, thanks,” Lance noted as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

“Don’t thank me, thank the audition or else.” Pidge adjusted their glasses and then looked at a stack of papers in their hands. “Did you read the script like I asked?”

“Maybe.” At that, Pidge began rolling up the script like one would roll up a magazine. “Yes, I did! God.”

“Okay. Prove it.”

“What the hell are you talking-”

“Say somes lines to Keith.” Pidge gestured to Keith with the rolled up script and he just kind of froze. Lance kept looking at Pidge, noticeable tension holding his shoulders in place. Keith rolled his lower lip underneath his teeth once. Today was just not his day. “It shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Which lines?” Lance asked, trying to talk normally.

“How about the ones where you’re talking with Oliver before you meet up for lunch with Jess and Sophie?” Lance sighed, a little relieved. Keith let himself relax a little before Lance turned to him, a whole new expression of tinged annoyance crossing his face. Keith blinked in surprise and watched as Lance looked at him directly in the eyes. “Okay, Oliver, look. Do you really love Jess?”

“Yes, that’s kind of why I asked her to marry me,” came from Pidge, earning glances from both Lance and Keith. Pidge just looked at Lance, waving their hands in a forward motion in front of them, telling Lance to keep going.

“Are you sure? Because, well, I mean,” Lance went, completely this Ethan character and Keith was a little fascinated. “You know.”

“No, I don’t. What’s the problem?”

“I’m feeling kind of neglected here, bud. It’s like Jess this, Jess that.”

“Ethan, we’re engaged and about to get married in several days. Sorry if-” Pidge was cut off as the car came to a final stop and driver said something, indicating that they were there. “Thanks,” Pidge said and then turned to Lance and Keith. “All right, remember, sell the couple aspect. This is the reason we started all this because Lance really needs this role. Understand?”

Lance and Keith both felt their stomachs clench as they looked at one another, unsure if this was possible. But it was important to Lance and Keith had to work around what had happened earlier. Lance sat there, wishing he hadn’t tried to push away so soon but the feeling lingered no matter what.

“Understood,” they both said at the same time and then they left the car.

Keith felt Lance’s fingers brush against his and he took his hand. Lance looked at him as Pidge began making headway and Keith smiled an easy smile. “We’ve got to sell this remember, babe?” Keith was tempted to be bitter and let that morning’s comment roll off his tongue in a phrase working against Lance but his heart had had enough. A smile spread on Lance’s face, giving him that cocky look Keith hated.

“Sure thing, babe.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Ah but I thought you loved me?” They were in the building now and Keith sucked in a breath. His heart fluttered knowing that whatever he said would be considered fake. And it wasn’t like he wanted it to turn real, yet, because the timing just wouldn’t work.

“I do but-”

“Awww you love me,” Lance laughed gently and then they followed Pidge to a room where there must have been dozens of actors and actresses talking and they were all, once again, beautiful. Keith almost had a heart attack stepping in with Lance.

Everyone was chatting, laughing and looking all a little bit nervous while standing near tables with refreshments and food. Keith glanced around only briefly because looking at each person for longer than a second was impossible because they looked like the sun.

Then, unmistakably, someone called out his name. “Keith!” He looked up in surprise to find the woman he had met yesterday coming towards him, white hair in a long ponytail and she was pulling someone along behind her. “Lance,” she nodded, and the person she was pulling came and stopped beside her and Keith instantly recognized him.

“You-you’re-”

“I was hoping to see you guys here. Lovely to see you Allura. Oh, and by the way Shiro, thanks for snitching on me.” Lance said.

The familiar man Keith had served at drink to at Altea simply smiled. “No problem.”

Allura then spoke up. “Lance, who’re you auditioning for?”

“Ethan.”

“We’re going for Oliver and Jess!” Allura said it proudly, wrapping her arms around Shiro’s. The actor smiled warmly down at her like she was his world and Keith wished Lance would look at him like that. Allura smiled and then looked at Keith. “It’s so great to see you again! Coming for support?”

“Yeah and it’s nice to see the both of you, too,” Keith smiled genuinely.

“That’s so great.” Lance looked a little confused and then Allura spoke again. “We should do something together, the four of us. Shiro and I are going to a baseball game tomorrow and we have extra tickets! Want to come with?” At the mention of baseball, Keith looked over at Lance who made a face and Keith laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. The warmth of it being genuine made Keith feel good as he remembered they had actually seen one another long ago. “What’s so funny?” Allura asked.

“Nothing,” Lance got out as Keith finished laughing. “We’d love to.”

“Great, we’ll-” A voice came over and called out names, including Lance’s, Allura’s, and Shiro’s. “Looks like we have to go! This is so exciting. See you in a bit Keith.” Allura and Shiro took off and Lance loosened his fingers from Keith’s.

“See you,” Lance said and he smiled. Keith smiled, still feeling better from laughing. He pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Lance managed as he left the room, heart pounding, face flushed like nothing he’d ever felt.

Keith sighed, laughed a little bit more, and then made his way to the food.

There was an incredible array of pastries, fruit, coffee, and even tea. Keith felt his stomach growl, even with one slice of cold pizza and water being consumed earlier. He made a move to grab a donut and then someone reached for it at the exact same time. “Oh dear, I’m so incredibly sorry.”

Keith looked over to find an orange haired man with an extremely bushy mustache. He looked like someone but Keith couldn’t quite place it. “No, it’s okay, you can have it. I’ll get another one.” He smiled assuringly at the man who smiled in return.

“How kind of you. You’re dating Lance, aren’t you?” He asked, picking up the donut. “Allura told me about meeting you the other day and I was curious to meet you too. You seem like a good kid.”

“Oh, wow, thank you,” Keith said, a little taken aback.

“My name’s Coran. I’m Allura’s manager.” He reached out a hand and Keith took it, getting his hand shook very enthusiastically. “What do you do?”

At that point, Keith just went on about how he was in college and what he was studying and his job. Coran listened thoughtfully and without straying, and he commented on how he loved the arts himself, especially dancing.

“Oh really? I took it myself for several years,” Keith said, smiling.

“Wow, you must be really good then.”

“What’s he really good at?” The words were said as an arm was slung over Keith’s shoulder. “Tell me,” Lance added, curious.

“Dancing.” Keith glanced over to find Lance studying him softly and then smiling in a small fashion.

“Yeah, he is.” The almost distant memories of last night came back to Keith. Before he could respond, Shiro and Allura came back.

“We did great.” Allura beamed and Coran smiled.

“That’s wonderful.” Everyone was smiling except for Keith, whose mind still dwelled on what exactly was fake anymore. “Lance did wonderful by the way, Keith.” Allura said this and Keith snapped out of it, smiling a closed lip smile.

“Good job,” he said, looking at Lance. “I’m proud of you.”

And to his surprise, Lance hugged him.

His hold was tight and Keith’s arms were pinned to his sides but it was something that complicated things even more. When Lance let go, Keith did his best to hide the fact that his cheeks were pink, grateful for when Pidge said it was time for them to go.

Everything was just getting more blurred. And the thing was, neither of them knew that it was blurry for the other as well. They didn’t say much to each other in the car because Pidge was talking to Lance and Keith thought about everything he’d gotten himself into.

The reason he’d accepted this challenge of posing as a couple with someone he didn’t he even know. Their origins of beginning meant nothing but for the both of them now, it meant everything. They wanted something more but something kept them both from saying anything respectively.

And they both wondered how much longer before someone said anything or if no one said nothing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gosh this chapter!!
> 
> thank you so much to:
> 
> \- nick (chambe5r-the-5-is-silent) for betaing this!
> 
> \- emma (peridots-laugh) you really helped me with the whole what would happen when they're drunk
> 
> \- snyd (acethctic) for just messing around with me and helping me and emma and nick with the aspects of the movie omg
> 
> \- also, special thanks to kit-chats on tumblr for reblogging my post and helping me out!!
> 
> this was a fun chapter to write :)
> 
> p.s. this is the song lance was singing
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMIaYXxLnUA


	8. they wanted one another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith’s eyes followed a little longingly and he was snapped out of it as he felt someone yank on the fabric of his pants. He looked down to see Gabriella looking up at him, a little tentatively before smiling at him like she had earlier from across the table. “He likes you.”
> 
> He had to laugh a little at that. “I know.” Two words never hurt more.
> 
> “Good.” She looked a little confused at his small laugh and he asked her a question he’d decided he had to have answered earlier.
> 
> “Hey, what does mi amor mean?” He said it softly, a ghost of a question. Her eyes widened and her smile split into a grin.
> 
> “It means my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so so so thank you so much for 5k hits + 20 more subscriptions
> 
> also, thank you for messaging me on tumblr and telling me how much you love this fic like??? it makes my life
> 
> here's 5k words because next chapter
> 
> is gonna be 9k
> 
> enjoy ~

After coming back to Lance’s house, things were relatively the same except something had definitely changed in the air. 

Keith and Lance felt it as they listened to Daniel and Gabriella explain what a fun day they had. They felt it as everyone messed around at dinner. And they felt it as everyone retired, both managing to say goodnight to one another without fucking it up. There were lots of smiles and theirs were the hardest to catch.

It was vaguely quiet walking down the hall until Keith heard the kids’ voices and Olivia’s come from the guest room. He froze in his tracks, and once he put two and two together, he turned around. Everyone was gone as he made his way back past the kitchen and into the living room.

The memories of the night before were, granted, fuzzy, but the emotions lingered. The couch before him reminded him that he had sat and slept there with Lance, as if it was a world that really was his. He smiled a little bitterly as he climbed onto the couch and spread himself out, body tired and ready to lie down. The temperature of the couch was cool against his cheek as he prompted himself to fall asleep, unable to before he let last night play over in his head one last time.

Keith sleepily blinked before closing his eyes. The sound of padded footsteps came extremely close to him and then stopped. “¿Crees que esté muerto?”

“Creo que sí.” Then the footsteps started up again and faded as they got farther away. Keith groaned and dug his face deeper into the crook of his arm. It was too early. Several minutes of uninterrupted bliss passed before the footsteps came back. “Look.”

“I think he's just sleeping guys.” Lance’s voice registered; Keith did his best not to show that he knew who it was.

“No, I think he’s dead.” Then a finger jabbed him in the side and he did his best not to move. He was still tired, emotionally drained, and he wanted nothing more than to lie there.

“Why is he sleeping out here?” came from Gabriella. “Why wasn’t he sleeping with you?” Keith felt his muscles tense and the several seconds of silence from Lance towards his niece was a silent panic welling in his chest. “Why-”

“Well, he just sleep walks sometimes,” Lance corrected as fast as he could and Keith felt like he could breathe again. “Since he’s asleep, we should leave him here.”

“Shouldn’t you carry him back to bed?” came from Gabriella and Keith tried to mentally tell Lance not to pick him up. “Like mamá does for papá?” Keith prayed immensely that Lance wouldn’t do it.

“I should,” came from Lance, really softly, and Keith felt his stomach knot.

The next thing Keith knew, he was being moved to his side and then onto his back. He felt Lance place his arms underneath him as he was lifted into the air, being carried like it was nothing. Keith did his best not to let his face give away the fact that he was awake so he simply rested his cheek against Lance’s chest. The sound of Lance’s heartbeat going much faster made Keith’s heart flutter.

“Keith looks like a princess!” came from Gabriella as she walked besides Lance. Daniel had decided to go back to bed and so it was Lance carrying Keith and his niece walking down the halls.

“Yeah, he does.”

“Do you want to marry him?” Lance sputtered as he looked down at his niece. Keith didn’t know what to feel.

“Where is that coming from, silly?”

“Aren’t you in love with him?”

“Es complicado.” The switch to Spanish set Keith a little one edge.

“Te ama, ¿no?”

“Gabriella, suficiente.” The tone was gentle yet firm and Keith moved his head a little, an act that helped to confirm he was asleep.

“Yo pienso que deberían casarse.” They continued walking and Lance hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “Eres lindo y él es lindo.”

“Es lindo,” Lance breathed and Keith heard the word again, the one refraining to him. He was so tempted to wake up but before he could, “pero no creo que alguna vez estemos ni cerca de casarnos.” Lance’s heart slowed a tad and his voice sounded disappointed. Keith simply kept his eyes shut until he was gently delivered onto a bed. “Vete ahora,” came from Lance and footsteps padded away out of his room.

The mattress sunk down next to Keith as Lance sat on his bed. He sighed and Keith wondered if it was safe to “wake up” yet. Lance’s phone buzzed on his nightstand as he reached over and read a text from Allura. He laughed slightly and then he set his phone down. “Hey, Keith, wake up.” Keith merely groaned and shifted into a slightly different position. “I'll tickle you.”

Keith was up like there was a fire he had to get away from. “Don’t you fucking dare.” Lance smiled before looking away and then he looked back.

“So, just to let you know, Allura said the game’s going to be at 1:30.” The string of words came out and then created a lengthy silence Keith didn’t know how to break. So he simply nodded and Lance simply sat there, the both of them on Lance’s bed.

But then that declaration Keith had sworn to confess to Lance shouted from the back of his mind to say something. It didn’t feel right, though. Keith held his tongue but then he smiled to himself before asking, “So, you think I’m pretty?”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, the fact that Gabriella used the exact same Spanish word you used to call me that when I first met her.” Lance did his best to keep looking at Keith but he managed to stray a few times.

“I’ve been betrayed.”

“It’s okay. I think you’re beautiful.” The words slipped out and Keith was fine with letting them finally be free. He watched, eyes unwavering, as Lance merely looked at him, his lips parted slightly. 

Lance wanted so badly for touch to be an option in that very moment. But he knew he had to steer away the yearning sensation threatening to close in on him. So he smiled a smile that Keith hated and went, “Oh, well, thank you. One doesn’t become an actor on talent alone.”

“Sure thing, Lance.” Keith saluted, a motion he later wondered why he had even done. “Whatever you want to tell yourself.” He moved himself so that he was sitting on the edge of Lance’s bed. His feet brushed against the floor and every bone in his body was telling him to stay. His arms locked as he prepared to push himself up. “I’m going to go get some breakfast.”

“Want me to cook?”

“Lance, please.” Keith pushed himself off the bed and forced himself to keep walking before he could say anything else.

Getting back to the kitchen was easy and Keith found Hunk and Olivia cooking together, laughing, working like a powerhouse team. Pidge sat at the table as Gabriella drew and Daniel had his head resting against his folded arms on the table. It was relatively peaceful, normal and Keith found a new sense of happiness witnessing it. 

“Morning,” Keith said, as he pulled out the seat next to Pidge. 

“Good morning,” said Pidge, as they paused their fingers from moving quickly every second across their keyboard. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” Keith managed normally, adding a yawn. Then, out of the corner of his eye after he finished, he saw Gabriella looking at him, a little in awe. She smiled and Keith almost forgot to look confused. She simply went back to coloring whatever she was on her paper and Keith rested a hand on the smooth table.

“Morning!” Lance’s voice made everyone at the table jump, except for Pidge and Gabriella. Daniel lifted his head quickly and Keith flinched. “How’s everyone today?”

“Just peachy.” Pidge maintained a slight edge to their voice and Keith didn’t know how to respond. 

“Wasn’t asking you,” came from Lance as he slid into the seat next to Keith, which made his heart do a somersault inside his chest. He then looked at Keith. “How are you, mi amor?” The way he looked at Keith was especially soft in a questioning sort of way. Lance’s slim eyebrow was raised slightly and his lips remained parted slightly. 

Something about how Lance had said the last two words gave Keith chills. “I’m okay,” he smiled slightly and the sound of Pidge gagging off to the side could be heard. Keith had to laugh at that while Lance pulled a face. 

“Ok, kids, breakfast time!” Olivia said as she came in with two plates. She set one down in front of Daniel and then had to pause, placing a hand on her hip as she looked down at Gabriella. “Sweetie, it’s time to stop coloring for now.”

“But I’m drawing something really important!” Olivia raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, really?” She then studied the picture. “What are you drawing, my little artist?”

“Them.” Her little pointer finger, without a doubt, pointed to Lance and Keith, who both froze. “See, they’re holding hands.” And she pointed to her picture as Olivia smiled. The subjects of the drawing both felt their breaths hitch and they couldn’t bear to look at one another. Keith felt the intense need to cover his face with both of his hands.

“Okay, while that’s very sweet, I promise you can go back to your picture the second you finish breakfast. Deal?” The drawing was moved to the center of the table for everyone to pretty much see and Lance ate in silence for once. Pidge noticed this immediately and relatively normal conversation ensued.

Keith ate rather slowly and then became preoccupied in Gabriella practically inhaling her food when her mother wasn’t looking. He felt a smile spread over his face as he watched her pause in eating every time Olivia checked in on her and then shovel food once she was in the clear. It was rather amusing.

Gabriella was the first to finish and she pushed her plate to side. She snatched her drawing and continued working. Everyone ate at a healthy pace and once they finished, Gabriella stood up in her seat. “I have finished.” And then she held up her picture like she was showing Simba to the pridelands for the very first time. “Look.”

It was undeniably them. 

Two guys, one with brown hair and the other with a swoop of black hair. They were holding hands and there were a bunch of multicolored hearts in crayon around them. Lance snorted next to Keith. “She has your hair down.”

“Last I checked, you love my hair.” Keith couldn’t help himself.

“It’s lovely,” said Hunk, beaming.

“I agree,” came from Olivia and Pidge nodded as a response. “Worthy of MOMA.”

“Well-” Lance shut up immediately when he saw Olivia. “I think it’s great.”

But Gabriella kept looking to Keith, as if she was waiting for him to talk. It was strange. “It’s very cute,” Keith allowed a smile. “I love it.” Gabriella smiled and then hopped down off her chair. Everyone watched as she entered the space between Lance and Keith’s chairs.

“Put it on your fridge.” She pulled Lance out of his chair and they went to the kitchen. Keith took a deep breath at the absence of the two. Then he looked to Olivia and Hunk. “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious.” They smiled at him and he felt his stomach constrict in a small fashion. 

He wanted everything about the closeness of this place to be his.

Keith stood up and took his plate to the kitchen to find Gabriella sticking the last magnet so that her picture would stay in place. Now that he looked at it, the drawing was the first thing ever to have been put on the refrigerator and the butterflies in Keith’s stomach stirred. “There,” Lance dusted his hands, admiring the picture with her. “Beautiful.” And then he passed Keith, making meaningless and fleeting eye contact before leaving to go back to his room.

Keith’s eyes followed a little longingly and he was snapped out of it as he felt someone yank on the fabric of his pants. He looked down to see Gabriella looking up at him, a little tentatively before smiling at him like she had earlier from across the table. “He likes you.”

He had to laugh a little at that. “I know.” Two words never hurt more. 

“Good.” She looked a little confused at his small laugh and he asked her a question he’d decided he had to have answered earlier.

“Hey, what does mi amor mean?” He said it softly, a ghost of a question. Her eyes widened and her smile split into a grin.

“It means my love.” 

Keith had had it. He thanked Gabriella, smiling a small smile, and then he found his way back to the living room where his phone had stayed on the couch. He took it with him and went back to the room he originally stayed in and he noticed how the bags were up on the bed he slept in a couple days ago. So he moved to sit on the other bed, doing his best to remember most of what Lance had said to him when they were alone.

He managed to translate it all to a language he understood and he felt his skin flush.

It all felt so real, especially since Lance didn’t have to say those things.

After all, they had been alone.

Keith took in a breath and made his decision.

He was going to confess that night.

No matter what.

He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth, unsuccessfully fighting off the urge to smile. Once he found the way to tell Lance he was loved him, he practiced the two words in Spanish over and over. It was shaky at first but as they kept coming out, Keith knew he could do it. He exhaled in a long fashion and before he was done, his phone buzzed in his hand and he jumped.

It was a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Mary, the manager from Altea. I’d love it if you could get a shift in tonight.”

And then that sense of calling came back. “Sure thing.”

“Thanks so much, Keith.” She hung up after saying goodbye and Keith lowered his phone.

He took a deep breath.

He could do this.

The hours passed and at one point, Olivia excused herself and her children, declaring their stay over.

“I’m gonna miss you guys.” Lance embraced his niece and nephew. He looked at his sister. “Not you.” She ignored him and gave Keith a hug, not giving him a chance to react.

“You are a sweetie.” She let go and smiled very warmly. “Take care of my brother.”

“I will. It was great meeting you.” Keith then looked at the kids. “It was nice meeting you, too.”

“Bye-bye!” came from Gabriella and Daniel smiled. 

It was bittersweet walking them out the door to Olivia’s car and watching them drive off. Keith waved until they were out of sight and once they’d left, Lance grabbed his arm.

“We have a baseball game to get ready for.”

And after an hour of prep and makeup, they left. Lance wore his Dodger cap once again without fear of losing it and Keith couldn’t help but fall more in love with him every second they were together. The ride was surprisingly fine and they pulled into the stadium parking lot.

It was easy to find Shiro and Allura. They stood out, casually dressed but clearly humans of genetic blessing. Shiro wore a white t-shirt with the name of the other team and jeans and Allura wore a Dodgers cap. Her long silver hair was in a ponytail and she was wearing a plain white crop top underneath a pair of overalls. “Lance! Keith!” People looked at them, glancing and getting excited.

“Hello, my fellow blue fan.” Lance grinned and then gave Shiro a look. “And Shiro, you’re lucky you’re so beautiful. Otherwise, I would fight you for supporting the other team.”

Allura looked at Keith, smiling. “My boyfriend would beat yours.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe.” Keith choked a little as Lance took his hand and they followed Shiro and Allura into the stadium. There were tons of people they had to weave through and Keith instinctively held Lance’s hand a little tighter. Lance felt his heart flutter as he kept looking ahead, following Allura who pulled Shiro along.

They moved down the stadium steps, descending deeper until they moved past dugout level seats and made it to field level. A woman didn’t bother checking their tickets since she recognized them immediately. “What an honor to have you all here today!”

“Thank you,” smiled Allura and she led the three others behind her to seats right behind home plate. As Keith sat down, looking out across the field gave him an absolute wave of nostalgia. The smell of the grass, the players practicing, the people talking. Managers were conversing and everything felt pleasantly familiar. Keith smiled as he made himself comfortable.

It was an ideal summer day, albeit hot but the blue above was pretty and there were large white clouds. Music played over the speakers and people could be heard laughing. It was all music to the ears and Lance noticed as Keith indulged in the old days. “I still can’t believe you played.”

“Well, I believe that I beat you.” Keith cocked his head, smiling endearingly.

“Incredible.”

“What do you mean he beat you?” Allura leaned into view next to Lance. 

Lance slapped a hand across Keith’s mouth. “Nothing, All-” The wet of Keith’s tongue hit his palm and he withdrew his hand, giving Keith the opening he needed.

“I played him back in high school and beat him in the championship.”

“Get out!” Allura smiled in amazement. “Shiro, apparently these two knew each other previously.”

“That’s something.” He smiled warmly, and then took Allura’s hand.

“You’ll never let it go, will you?”

“Mmm no.” Keith parted his lips into a slight smile and his heart fluttered at the implication of never. It meant he would be around longer than he intended. 

He took in a deep breath and waited for Allura and Shiro to go back to talking amongst themselves before he looked to Lance. “Hey, I have to go into Altea tonight. Could you come with me?”

“I’m sure Pidge would’ve made you take me anyways.” Lance said.

“Right. Also,” he bit at his bottom lip ever so slightly. “Promise me you won’t drink.” Lance quit looking ahead and he slowly brought his eyes to meet Keith’s. “Promise.” He could see the ‘Why’ form on Lance’s lips and everything around Keith went quiet.

It was then that a man came to take Lance’s order for food. “Hi, can I get you anything?”

So Lance ordered, then Keith and somehow, what had transpired faded and they got to talking about the game. The first inning started, practically uneventful, and Lance and Allura cheered for the home team. Keith watched in amusement as he drank from his water bottle and he watched as the home pitcher struck out the third out. Cheers came from the stadium as the teams switched positions. “Nice!” Lance high-fived Allura.

Then, the bottom of the first went equally as fast. Shiro cheered almost quietly and Allura looked at him. Lance sighed and Keith laughed. Everything about being spectators to a game they used to play was incredibly cute. “What’s so funny?” Lance raised an eyebrow.

“Just how cute you all are.” Keith felt at ease as the innings rolled by, and more often than not found himself calling out to the ump with Lance when the official called a clear strike a ball. They watched intently, each getting the slightest bit cocky when a team’s player got on base. 

And the time seemed fleeting when the seventh inning stretch came about.

Keith’s legs felt a little like jelly as he stood and stretched, raising one arm sky-high and pulling it in with a bent arm at an angle. He yawned and then the music started. Everyone sang and Keith snuck a look at Lance who was singing with his eyes shut, smiling. Keith relaxed at that and he sang along as well.

It then turned to the bottom of the seventh. The Dodgers were down by one and Lance had taken his program and rolled it up. He was using it to cheer and also wave it in the air as an act of being pissed. Nothing changed, except the other team came dangerously close to scoring, getting someone on third and first with only one out.

The Dodgers managed to save their ass and the top of the eighth arrived.

As the away team came in to get ready to bat, the music came back on, a light tune and the screen that showed the players turned to one with a pink border and the words kiss cam struck fear into Keith’s heart. Lance had unfurled his Dodgers program and was flipping through it, waiting for the players to come back on. He didn’t see the screen change and Keith prayed harder than he ever did right there that it did not come to them.

There were several really cute ones, then ones that made the stadium laugh, and, then, just Keith’s luck, it showed them. Allura cheered next to them and Lance just looked at her and even if it wasn’t for the game, Keith had to do something. He sucked in a breath before snatching the program out of Lance’s hand, earning a protest he cut off as he yanked him forward by the shirt and kissed him.

Keith held the program in front of them as he kissed Lance. He knew that their lips were smashed together, that their noses were too, but it was something Keith wanted all for himself. He didn’t want to give the world the satisfaction. He knew he didn’t want to kiss Lance McClain for show anymore.

It was a fact that made a comfortable warmth bloom in Keith’s chest.

Lance began to angle his head more into it and then Keith broke it off, the air hot between the two of them. Both of them just kind of looked at one another, aware of what had happened and unsure of what to do with their mouths now. Keith, instilled by a new sort of confidence, gave a slight smile. He lowered the program to find the kiss cam long gone and the away team already went through one hitter.

Keith sat back and Lance did his best not to feel how warm his cheeks were. Allura had her head on Shiro’s shoulder and they watched as Shiro’s team struck out. “Ha!” came from Allura.

“They still have the ninth,” Shiro managed and Allura laughed slightly.

“We still have the bottom of the eighth and the ninth!” chimed Allura. “Don’t you think so Lance?” She moved to nudge Lance, who still sat in a mild state of mixed emotions. He snapped out of it immediately.

“Oh, hell yeah we do! Something’s going to happen.” He glanced over at Keith who was watching the game. “Something’s definitely going to happen.”

The bottom of the inning proved fruitless in terms of scoring and everyone was on edge watching as the away team almost scored in the top of the ninth. Dodgers fans felt their breath come back to them and they all hoped for a miracle. All they needed was for two guys to come in and they would win.

First hitter managed to get on first due to an error. The second batter struck out but the player on first got to second by stealing. Everyone was completely on edge as the third player up to bat got out and Lance, in an act of needing support, took Keith’s hand.

It was insane and Lance took Allura’s hand as they sat with bated breath. The fourth batter managed to get on base and the fifth batter got up to full count, hitting a lot of foul balls into the stands. Lance grit his teeth and his grip became firmer.

“Let’s go!” cheered Lance and Allura as the batter stepped out of the box before stepping back in. He took a few practice swings and the crowd grew louder as the pitcher studied the batter before snapping his gum and then raising his leg to deliver the pitch.

It was a less than ideal pitch but the hitter managed to send it flying. As it became more apparent it was headed for the people in the stands, Lance stood up with Allura and Keith got pulled up, the excitement coursing from Lance to Keith.

Someone caught the ball and the crowd erupted into cheers as they watched the walk-off hitter round the bases, stomping on home plate before greeting his teammates. They were all so happy their efforts paid off on this one game, as they jumped around. They were home.

Keith didn’t know if it was easier or just more natural as he took Lance’s hand. Something about finding that warmth comforted the both of them as they joined Shiro and Allura in walking up the stadium steps. “Ah, that was such a good game!” Lance smiled.

“Yeah, thanks for inviting us,” commented Keith, smiling at Allura.

“Of course! It was fun to be here with you guys.” Allura said and they made their way up to level of stadium where all the food was. “We should do more things together!"

“Sure,” said Lance and Keith’s heart fluttered.

He couldn’t wait for this to be real.

“Especially since,” she grinned. “We got the parts!” Lance eyes widened. “All of us!”

“How do you know?”

“Casting called during the game.” Keith watched as Lance used his free hand to find his phone.

He did in fact have a missed call. “Oh shit, get out!”

“We’re flying out to Hawaii in a few days.” Shiro added and Keith couldn’t help but like the sound of that.

“I knew I nailed that reading!” Lance seemed so sure of himself and Keith smiled to himself behind Lance. “We did fantastic!”

“We should celebrate!” 

Keith remembered. “Ah, I have to work at Altea tonight.”

“We can always meet you there.” Allura spoke and Shiro nodded. “A drink’s the perfect way to celebrate.” They reached the parking lot and Allura hugged Lance and then Keith and waved bye with Shiro. “See you both later!”

“See you.” Keith smiled as he waved.

They eventually found Lance’s car and it was hell waiting for all the cars to move in lines out the exit. But it was a new sensation as they both couldn’t stop looking at one another when the other wasn’t looking. The music playing on the radio didn’t help, since majority of them were about love, and no one made a move to change the station.

But, at one point, Lance turned the radio off. “That was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Mmm yeah.” Keith propped his head up on a bent arm and he turned to smile into the palm of his hand. “It was.”

“Good.” Lance smiled at the road ahead of him as they finally got to exit the parking lot. 

Keith was allowed to turn the radio on and the song he left it on finished and it turned to “Island In The Sun” by Weezer. He felt himself relax, lulled by the smooth rhythm of the music. It was sleepy, almost magical kind of revelation and it made him smile. He hummed to himself and seconds later, Lance began to sing.

 

_ When you're on a holiday _

_ You can't find the words to say _

_ All the things that come to you _

_ And I wanna feel it too _

 

_ On an island in the sun _

_ We'll be playing and having fun _

_ And it makes me feel so fine _

_ I can't control my brain _

 

It was like a dream watching Lance sing, staring ahead at the road, smiling softly. It was everything Keith wanted.

He wanted Lance McClain.

Keith gently scratched at the back of his neck, ruffling his hair, and he felt a comfortable warmth spread in his stomach. The song went on and eventually, Lance looked at Keith as he sang. Brief glances and smiles.

 

_ We'll run away together _

_ We'll spend some time forever _

_ We'll never feel bad anymore _

 

It was enough. Keith felt his confession sit on his tongue but he couldn’t say it right then. He sighed and smiled a relaxed sort of smile, and he indulged in a silence between the two of them that felt better than talking.

Music helped to guide them back to Lance’s house and they ended up parting ways for a couple hours, at least until they had to go to Altea.

Keith spent his minutes psyching himself up as he got dressed, putting his hair up in a ponytail. He breathed in and out, practicing two very important words he couldn’t screw up or else he wouldn’t forgive himself. Keith studied himself in the mirror and took one final deep breath.

He smiled to himself.

Meanwhile, Lance sat on his bed, thinking things over.

Every sense of pure logic told him he was in love with Keith but he had a boyfriend. 

Lance covered his face with his hands and after back-and-forth persuasion to himself, he decided he didn’t care anymore. 

He wanted Keith. Lance smiled, laughing a bit as his heart fluttered.

He couldn’t wait to tell him later that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to:
> 
> \- dai (crownedfaun) for translating (she's the best)
> 
> \- everyone who reads this!!! thank you for getting excited with me!!!
> 
> also, i started a wip playlist for this so if you have any ideas for songs hmu
> 
> you will always find me @ bluethisisforyou


	9. and then it all changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten minutes, they thought.
> 
> Ten minutes and then you can go from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm honestly so sorry that this is 1k words less than promised
> 
> it's 8k :/
> 
> i hope you can forgive me
> 
> also, today is the two month anniversary since i've posted the first chapter!!! 
> 
> also, it's nonbinarypidgegunderson's two month death anniversary because this fic quote-on-quote "killed them"
> 
> send your condolences their way
> 
> now, enjoy ~

It was Friday.

When they pulled up in the limo, the sky was in the process of fading, blue into a honeydew shade, the navy ready to take over. The sky was ready to disappear and leave a trail of glittering stars in its wake. Music played, perfectly, at the right volume so that it could be heard, but also be overstepped with conversation.

As they approached the terrace of Altea, Keith couldn’t help but notice the way Lance’s beauty had seemed all the more prevalent. It was a little hard to breathe, as he followed him to the bar. His hair was shining, curling at the nape of his neck and he was dressed very simply, in form-fitting jeans and the white shirt he’d worn when he set off the sprinklers in the kitchen. Lance also wore a simple black necklace with a white spiral resting above his collar bone. He smelled like the sea and consequently, like a dream. Looking at him made the butterflies in Keith’s stomach flap uncontrollably as he followed Lance inside, past the all the people who talked, laughing without a care in the world.

The bar contained the same magical essence it had before and it was lulling sensation. Keith managed to breathe a little easier once he got behind the bar. Lance took off but not before smiling and promising not to drink. Keith returned Lance’s smile easily, despite the nervousness building up inside of him.

Serving drinks to people helped to ease Keith into the night. Everyone was relatively polite, a few asking about Lance and a few commenting on their relationship. All he could do was grin and bear it, his heart beating faster after they left at the thought of their relationship being more than just for show. While he waited to be called, he cleaned the bar over and over, never getting far since it was the end of the week and people wanted nothing more than to enjoy themselves.

And Keith felt the same.

Countless drinks later, the sky outside was black and the glow of the bar must’ve made for a sight to see from below. Keith finished making someone a cocktail when he heard a familiar voice. “Hey.” It was clear over the music and the talk and the clinking of ice. Afterall, he’d heard it the most as of late. Keith turned his head to find Lance, who’d taken a seat at the bar. His presence made Keith’s heart skip a beat and he did his best to not stutter.

“Hi.” He smiled and Lance’s heart fluttered at the way Keith’s hair framed the smile on his face. The lighting of the bar only made the vision that was Keith Kogane more beautiful.

“Allura texted me. They just got here.” Keith lifted an eyebrow, briefly parting his lips but slipping right into the smile once more. “You know something, Keith?” Lance couldn’t help himself. “You’re really pretty when you smile.”

Keith did everything he could to keep from flushing. Instead, he cocked his head. “Ah, so you admit you think I’m pretty.”

“Yeah.” Keith swallowed. “I do.” Lance looked at him, and the warmth in Keith’s belly blossomed. He felt his mouth go a little dry as Lance looked away briefly only to meet his eyes again, an easy smile consisting of slightly parted lips painting his beautiful face. Gentle music started playing and Keith felt like getting lost in eyes that saw him like they saw the sea, beautiful and worthy of love. His breath hitched and as he was about to speak, someone filled the air with words before him.

“Look at you! So handsome,” doted Allura, as she ruffled Lance’s hair. Lance swatted her away, smoothing at his hair.

“We talked about this, remember?” Lance sighed as he spoke to Allura, who was dressed in a white dress cut off at the thigh, loose and airy. The boat neck of her beautiful dress lay underneath a beautiful and simple silver necklace that held a small diamond, cut to look like a star. The length of her sleeves slid easily down her arms, revealing silver bracelets that hugged her wrists. She smiled, playfully, and she laughed, causing her hair to move over her shoulder and reveal dangling silver earrings, almost like windchimes. 

“Oh, but your hair’s so soft!” She glanced over to Keith, who nearly had a heart attack. “Don’t you think so?” Lance’s shoulders tensed underneath his shirt and he slowly turned his head to see Keith give his answer.

“Yeah, I do.” It’s a soft response and Lance doesn’t expect the smile from Keith to follow.

“See, even Keith thinks so!” She seated herself next to Lance. “It’s not like it’s a bad thing.”

“What’s not a bad thing?” Shiro came up next to Allura, dressed in a plain black shirt and pants similar to Lance’s. Keith almost stops breathing, since now he had three incredibly beautiful people in front of him. Allura’s boyfriend sat down next to her and he looked expectantly at her.

“That Lance has soft hair.”

“Why is that a bad thing?” Shiro arched a black eyebrow as he looked at Lance, who stared off into the distance. 

“It’s not,” Allura restated. “It makes him soft, like a bunny.”

“Yeah, well, this ‘bunny’ doesn’t want anyone messing up his hair.”

“Except for Keith,” Allura said under her breath and Keith froze and Lance just kind of looked at her. She ignored them, and then spoke. “Keith, would you be a dear and make me a martini?” Keith snapped out of it and he nodded yes, turning his back.

It was amusing, listening to the three of them talk. Sure, the drink took only several minutes to construct but it’s amazing how much could be said in that time. Allura thanked him when he handed her the drink and then proceeded to make Shiro a long island iced tea. Once he was finished, he turned to find Lance a blushing mess and Allura laughing, holding herself up by placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. Keith shot Shiro a questioning look and he just smiled a little nervously. Once Allura pulled herself together completely, she turned to Keith. “Aren’t you going to get Lance a drink?”

“Sorry. I made a promise I wouldn’t drink.” Lance’s gaze landed on Keith and it made his heart flutter again and again.

“Okay, then, what about you?”

“I’m working.” Keith simply smiled as Allura frowned slightly.

“Fine, then Shiro and I will toast without you.” At that, Keith pulled out some glasses, filling them with water. He slid one over to Lance and pulled the other to himself.

“Actually, we’ll join you.” Allura eased into a smile, sharing a look with Shiro who smiled with her. Everyone raised their glasses in the glow of the bar, fours hands and four hearts in the night. 

“To the movie!” They clinked their glasses. Then, Allura spoke again. “To our relationships. May they always be true.” She smiled as she clinked her glass with Shiro’s and then began to drink. He followed suit as Keith set his glass down in front of him.

Lance held onto his.

Both prayed her last wish would put the rest of the night in good hands.

The night was fairly busy. People had gotten off of work and were several hours into indulging in the freedom that the end of Friday allowed. Allura talked about the movie mostly, anticipation in her smile. “I heard we’re going to a few islands in order to film. I can’t wait to see Hawaii, so lovely.”

“I’d imagine.” Lance smiled, drinking his water. “I can’t wait to see it too.”

“You’ve never been?”

“Nope.”

“Well, then, you’re going to love surfing there.” A wave of memories washed over Keith, and he smiled rather fondly at Lance who wasn’t looking at him. “The water is very clear, very gorgeous. It’s something completely astounding.” Allura finished her second drink. Setting the glass down, she ran a finger along the rim once, her silver nail polish shining. She looked at Shiro. “Did you want another drink?”

“No, I’m fine.” He smiled assuringly. Allura hummed softly before turning to Keith.

“I think we’re going to have go. I have a photoshoot tomorrow so, well, I need my rest.” She smiled, almost beaming. “It was lovely seeing you two again.”

“Yeah, it was nice.” Keith returned her smile. Lance and Keith watched as Shiro and Allura excused themselves, disappearing out the doors. Customers turned their heads to watch them go, their conversations halted, drinks in hand. After that, conversation returned to normal and as the night progressed, people began to leave.

Groups were still scattered about, laughing and having a distortion of a good time.

Lance sat at the bar for a bit while Keith attended to more customers, smiling all the time. He studied him, the way he moved, carried himself, and it was liking seeing something familiar Lance loved dearly. By resting his head on the palm of his hand, he could hide the softness of his smile from the world. It was exhilarating in the quietest kind of way.

Keith eventually made his way back. “Manager said that I’m off work in ten minutes.” He smiled a ghost of a smile.

“Okay.” Lance smiled and he looked away, eyes drawn elsewhere. He glanced back at Keith. “I’m going to go talk to someone I know. See you in ten.” He got up.

“See you.” Keith gave a small wave as Lance paused before walking off.

Ten minutes, they thought. 

Ten minutes and then you can go from there. 

Keith’s heart fluttered as he tasted two words silently on his lips, over and over. Lance couldn’t stop thinking but he felt his heart beating in anticipation so that he could get what he needed to off his chest.

Both could hear the seconds passing by in their heads.

It was impossible to think about anything else.

Or, to be more exact, about anyone else.

Six minutes in and Keith found himself making a drink for an older man.

Seven minutes in and Lance found himself outside, getting some air.

Eight minutes in and Keith leaned against the bar, eyes scanning the illuminated bottles of liquor. 

Nine minutes in and Lance leaned against the bathroom sink, looking at himself in the mirror.

Ten minutes in and Keith took a deep breath. He smiled to himself despite the butterflies in his stomach. He could do this. As he turned to make his way to the end of the bar, something stopped him.

Someone stopped him.

“Keith.” The familiar pitch of the voice made Keith’s shoulders tense as he slowly turned his head to find Ryan standing there. Everything about seeing him there felt like a hallucination to Keith. “You’re here.” Bitterness spread in Keith’s chest. He drew his lips into a tight line. “I-”

“Why are you here?” Keith felt his fingers curl into fists, nails digging into his palms.

Ryan just stared at him, unsure of how to make his face look. Then, his eyes hardened, eyebrows highlighting his disbelief, his unshaven jaw set before opening his mouth. “Why would you even ask me that? You know why I’m here.” He moved closer to the bar and Keith took a step back. “You lied to me.”

“I lied, huh?” Keith watched Ryan’s face in all its seriousness, in all its righteousness. The bitterness in Keith’s mouth needed to breathe so he smiled, incredulous. He laughed. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

“What-” Ryan shut his eyes in frustration and then began again. “Keith, look-”

“No, you know what? I don’t want to hear anything from you. I’m done.” Keith turned and made his way down behind the bar and exited, turning to find Ryan in front of him.

“You have to let me explain-” Keith laughed again. His anger welled, telling him to scream.

“You don’t get to explain!” The volume of Keith’s voice raised as he jabbed a finger into Ryan’s chest. “You don’t get to! I know what you did! No use trying to reason with me.”

“Keith, you have to let me explain!” The bar had grown mostly quiet, the volume of conversation lowered considerably as the music played on. 

“Oh, so, you think you can redeem yourself? You’ve made your bed. Why can’t I do the same?” The words were sharp leaving Keith’s mouth and he wanted nothing more than to leave. “Can’t handle a taste of your own medicine?” He spat. “You’re a hypocrite.”

“Keith-”

“You want to know why I lied to you?” The rawness that meant the onset of tears mixed with the way his throat was beginning to hurt from yelling. It was not a welcome sign. “Because you lied to me. Don’t think you can get away with being disloyal and expect me to be fine! I was gone for a year and I came home to you smelling like a scent you can’t stand!” He laughed, this time a little strangled, tinged with bitterness. The tears in his eyes threatened to well over. “And you can’t expect me to take that lying down! We were together for years. Years.” It was getting harder to breathe, harder to think straight. The words poured out, barely putting a dent in the heaviness that had settled in Keith’s chest. Ryan, wordless, just watched Keith. His anger seemed to have melted as he tried to find the words to say.

“Please, let me explain.” His tone was rather gentle and it reminded Keith of a voice that had shown him affection. “Please.” Ryan pleaded, emphasis on one word. “Keith.” 

Everything hurt.

Keith shook his head slowly, doing his best to breathe. “No.” He pressed his teeth down on his tongue, pushing it to the point just before bleeding. “You don’t get to talk to me like that anymore.” Keith looked away. “You’ve lost that privilege.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Excuse me?” That incredulous smile was itching to get back on Keith’s face. He stood, his body towards Ryan, who stood very sure of himself.

“I haven’t lost that privilege because-” Keith laughed and his throat burned.

“You’re fucking incredible.” All the emotion Keith was feeling began to make him feel numb. “I can’t believe you.” 

“No, I can’t believe you! You told me you were in Los Angeles for a reason I thought was good for you! But you completely betrayed my trust-”

And every ounce of his being told Keith to get away.

“Fuck you.” 

“Listen to me, dammit!” The conversation around them, that had previously lowered to a whisper, halted. No one spoke half-heartedly any longer. They simply rolled their drinks gently around in their glasses as they looked anywhere but at Ryan and Keith. The way they all tilted their heads slightly, turned them to get a better earful. Keith dug his nails into his palms even harder.

“I already told you no. Stop trying to fucking get me to listen.”

“Keith-”

“You know what?” The rawness had overcome his throat. “I’ve had enough. I can’t take this.” Keith moved to push Ryan off to the side when he stepped in front of Keith, blocking his path. “Move.” 

“Not until you let me-” At that, Keith grabbed Ryan’s shirt in his fist. He pulled him closer. Keith was shaking, his fist balled around the material. His body hated the heavy quiet that resulted from complete strangers investing in his misfortune. It didn’t mix well with bar music. 

Keith’s eyes searched Ryan’s face, once over and then he looked him in the eyes. He didn’t feel anything. His lips curled into a smile, his tongue dry and his throat on fire. “Go fuck yourself. Or better yet, go fool around with your new boytoy. Whatever makes you fucking happy.” His fingers unfurled from their fist and with that, the clothing slipped from Keith’s hold. He pushed back a bit, causing Ryan to finally sidestep. 

Everything about the night was too vulnerable. Keith shouldered past, not bothering to look back.

“Keith!” He let the glass door of Altea shut behind him as he broke into a run for some godawful means of getting away quicker, getting away faster. His legs carried him all they way back to the limo and breathless, he slid into the car, slamming the sleek black door.

“It’s time to go,” he announced, his voice heavy in the emptiness of the space around him. In response, the car started. As the car began to pull out, everything around him turned to nothing and it was impossible to ignore the rawness in his throat any longer.

So he cried.

But it felt so hollow, the act of crying, as the tears rolled down his cheeks; he stared at his hands all the way home, not bothering to try to talk to himself once.

After all, it hurt too much. 

He sat his shoulders hunched, a point of pressure forming near where his shoulders met. The entirety of Keith was tense and while he felt everything, he felt nothing. It wasn’t a weight off his chest like Keith thought it would be. It was something much more.

A feeling of regret pooled in his stomach and he didn’t know why.

Keith just didn’t know.

And back at Altea, Lance inhaled a deep breath before stepping outside, the warm summer wind blowing by, and he caught sight of the guy he saw who’d confronted Keith. He was a little taller and he ran a hand through his hair, sighing. Lance approached him and he wondered why the conversation didn’t come back, nor the laughter, as he walked by. 

The man said something to himself and then turned around. He saw Lance and his face said he knew who he was. “You’re Lance McClain, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Lance felt his tongue go heavy. “But more importantly, who are you?”

“Ah, I’m Ryan.” Lance didn’t know what to think. “I’m Keith’s boyfriend.” At that, Lance felt his eyes widen a little and then they narrowed.

“Oh.” His mouth tasted bitter.

“Look, I don’t know how much you heard in there-”

“Not much, but it sounds like you’re a real piece of work.” Lance couldn’t help himself. He crossed his arms over his chest.

Ryan smiled a ghost of a smile as looked away. “Listen, all I need is for someone to listen to me. If Keith didn’t now, I suppose I don’t blame him but he had it all wrong.” His eyes met Lance’s. “So, if you could at least listen, then it’s a start in the right direction.”

Lance felt his stare soften a little as he wondered if Ryan really did have something to say. And at that point, he was sort of craving to hear some type of words and not just the sounds of the city below and the music that played on, seeming to make light of the situation. “I don’t think Keith would want me to listen to you,” Lance started. “But you seem like you really do have something to say.”

“Believe me, I do.” Ryan looked behind Lance at all the people still there, quiet and intrigued in all of their ways. He scoffed the tiniest bit; none of them had earned the right to listen in. “However, we should probably walk to my car.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the parking structure.

Lance hoped he was making the right decision as he joined Keith’s boyfriend in walking.

The sky above was void of any light whatsoever. As they walked, a strange and heavy feeling began to nag Lance in the back of his mind. But he refused to give in; after all, he had not heard Ryan speak yet. It was all in anticipation.

Once they’d gotten into the parking structure, Ryan started to tell his side of the story.

“Well, I suppose the beginning of this all started halfway through when Keith was in Korea. I had switched jobs and consequently, it meant more devotion to my work. I had to travel a lot more and I suspect that it made Keith feel lonely most of the time, but he was so great about it.” Lance listened quietly. “I just, well, and then he came back home and he seemed fine.

“But it might have been the night I saw him and the morning after because I did smell like a scent I hated.” Ryan did his best to keep talking. “However, I really did have work that related strongly to lavender around that time and it was just, I think, what set everything in motion.” He paused a bit before continuing. “And I feel like, at that point, Keith thought I was cheating on him.”

A peculiar sensation pressed against Lance’s chest making it harder to breathe.

The stillness of the parking lot around them was absolutely surreal. Fluorescent lighting highlighted the concrete and every once in awhile, people would walk by, laughing, trying to find their car. But to Lance, the sudden noises always came off as hollow as Ryan kept talking. 

“I never really got the chance to talk to him about it because I was so busy. The timing never seemed right. And he left for this city, telling me he had an opportunity. He mentioned something about an internship at an art gallery. Of course I was like wow, that’s insane but I was happy for him, you know?” He looked at Lance. “I thought he had an opportunity to better himself in something he loved. But, unlike Keith, I know a thing or two about modern culture.”

An unwanted feeling of dread began to pool in Lance’s stomach.

It felt like the longest walk he’d ever taken.

“Imagine.” They walked down the concrete stairs. “Imagine seeing an article, or several, along with candid photos of your boyfriend, who, apparently, is dating an actor rather than interning like he said he was.” When they reached the floor level of the structure, it was getting harder and harder for Lance to keep moving his feet forward. “It’s not a great feeling, not one bit.

“And so, since it seems like he believed I was cheating on him,” Ryan breathed before continuing. “It seems like he dated you-”

“Out of spite.” 

There was the sound of a car being unlocked and Lance realized Ryan was at his car.

“Yeah.” When Ryan looked at him, every signal his body had given him made sense. 

And he’d been praying that his body had been wrong.

He felt like he was being strangled as the time felt drawn out, the more unbearable because no one had anything to say anymore. The sounds of the cars out on the street and the people talking like everything was okay was joining Ryan’s explanation if slapping Lance right across the face.

What a fool he’d been.

What a fool.

“I’m sorry to have involve you in this but it seems like you’re the closest one to him right now.” As much as Ryan’s words were delivered with utmost sincerity, Lance couldn’t help but feel a stinging sensation in his heart. “This might seem incredibly unbelievable right now but I’m grateful that you listened to what I had to say. Could I, maybe, give you a ride home?” A car passed by as it exited the structure, every sound it made adding to the waves of regret washing over Lance, that kept knocking him down, not giving him a chance to catch his breath.

And it took every ounce of strength left in him to answer. “No, thank you. I’ll catch a cab.” He didn’t bother smiling when Ryan’s lips almost quirked into a sliver of a smile, a brief show of empathy before he climbed into his car. Lance stood, feeling like something was caught in his throat. 

He waited for Ryan to leave and then he started walking, every step leaving him all the more in a state of disbelief. As he exited the parking structure onto the street, he couldn’t help but feel accosted in how the world around him was so insensitive, so indifferent to how his world had just been picked apart to what it really was.

It hurt looking around and seeing people together, happy, laughing like they had never known sadness. The intimate closeness all around under the bright lights set Lance on edge. Walking down the sidewalk was a sensation overload and it did little to help the numbness from setting in.

Everything just kept happening like nothing had happened.

And at that point in time, that hurt the most of all.

Hailing a cab was such a simple act but it felt like the high point in Lance’s life that night. He slammed the door, told the driver his address, and sat back in his seat, feeling so incredibly lost. He did his best to tune everything out as the cab moved through the busy streets, so ready to cry when the car stopped due to traffic. The sights and sounds were too much.

He shut his eyes really tightly and told himself not to cry when the car stopped.

Once the cab finally left the city behind him, Lance placed a hand to his chest right over his heart. He grasped at the material, clenching his fingers and his teeth. Everything hurt so fucking bad and the more he thought about it, the more bitter he became.

The night passed him by as he thought about how not only he had been a fool for falling, but a fool for loving someone who had used him. 

He slowly let go of his shirt and then squeezed one final time before letting his hands fall to his lap.

With his thoughts all to himself, he studied his hands and thought about what they’d done.

They’d helped him throughout most of his life but only recently had they moved for the simple and insatiable sake of touch. He thought about how he’d held hands with Keith Kogane, all the time thinking that warmth of contact meant something more.

But he was stupid for even kissing Keith in the first place.

His mind wandered back to the coffee shop and how the sensation of pressing Keith’s lips to his own now registered all too vividly. He put his fingertips to his lips, feeling the dryness of his mouth all the more. Lance gently touched them, almost absentmindedly, when really the sensation flooded his thoughts.

He felt so tired.

And then his mind went thinking about all the kisses he’d given Keith and how they gradually began to mean something. After that, he thought about the times Keith had kissed him. He thought about earlier that day and his chest tightened.

That was a televised game.

It was the perfect opportunity for Keith to deliver his biggest ‘fuck you’ to Ryan.

And consequently, to Lance as well.

The past week ran through Lance’s head.

Him and Keith had gone from strangers, connected by a phone call, to a relationship Lance had bet wrong on. He couldn’t believe he was about to tell Keith he loved him.

At that thought, he sucked in a breath, blinking so that his tears wouldn’t roll down his cheeks. He rolled his bottom lip under his teeth, pressing harder here and there in order to feel something if nothing. Some type of pain to remind him that despite what had happened, he was still present, a presence that was real. Lance attempted to ball his fingers into fists but they pressed down then unfurled, lacking the strength to do anything.

Lights of the cars that moved past became blurred as the onset of tears became all the more a possibility, his throat raw and unforgiving. He blinked quickly to clear away the water that clouded his vision and then he decided to look above.

The stars that were visible were faint; it’s like they weren’t even there.

All Lance could do was concentrate on the sky as the cab drove him home, his heart tired more than anything else about him. 

Once the cab got him home, he paid and got out.

The warm summer wind blew past him, rustling his hair and he didn’t make a move to fix it. He was too busy thinking about what Allura had said only hours earlier. Lance was doing his best to prove she was wrong. 

He was doing his best to prove himself wrong.

It took him a few tries to get his key in the lock and when he finally did, everything came crashing down on him. He inhaled a deep breath, breathy as he turned his key and let himself in, falling to his knees and finally letting it all out.

“You idiot.” He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes as he clenched his teeth. “You fucking idiot.” Lance couldn’t help but laugh, the sound distorted as he inhaled shaky breaths. His chest was tight as he sat in front of the door, tears heavy as they fell directly onto the floor below.

He could practically hear them as they hit the floor, an almost pitter patter of delayed tears. They hit the wood of the floor and spread out, Lance’s cheeks hots from where they rolled down the upper portion of his cheeks. “God dammit,” he whispered, holding onto the front of his shirt where his heart was.

Or where it used to be.

Right then, his heart was with Keith because when he’d looked at him, he’d seen more than a person.

He saw a life.

Lance had come to see something whenever he looked at the sea. It was a feeling Lance was ready to voice, but it was a feeling that was never meant to exist outside of his heart. After all, if he was the only one who saw more than a person, why say anything?

Still, he couldn’t deny that he saw home when he looked at Keith.

Maybe that’s why Lance’s heart was already Keith’s.

At that thought, Lance bit down on his fist, doing his best to ride out what was left of his emotions and he wiped at his eyes, doing his best to even his breathing. He allowed himself a bitter, strangled laugh as he got to his feet, legs shaky in supporting him but he had his heart to find.

“Keith?” He called out, the large house echoing the familiar, yet foreign, name back to him. “Where are you?” Lance forced his legs to move as he went to the living room as the memories there came back to him. He remembered how close they’d been, how Olivia had loved Keith, how he was dancing and Lance was playing guitar, when they’d kissed, when they’d talked about his tattoo and he shook himself out of it, telling himself to ignore it.

The kitchen and the dining room did little to help make Lance feel any better. He only came to think about how he’d set off the fire alarm, how he’d almost kissed Keith, all the stupid puns and all the smiles, the kiss Keith had planted on him, how Keith Kogane cooked him breakfast. The rawness in Lance’s throat proceeded to come back when he saw the outline of the Gabriella’s drawing in the dark. 

That depiction of hand holding brought back the memories of all the touch Lance had thought about during the ride home and his fingers ached along with his heart. He did his best not to look too much as he walked by, picking up his pace.

Walking down the halls, Lance felt like a ghost in his own house.

As he made his way closer to the guest room, he thought about how, early on, Lance had held hands with Keith so that he could take him to finally take a shower. He thought about how it had been a fairly neutral act and as the night went on, he thought about how Keith had tried to take his hand in order to be led back to the guest room.

Lance rolled his bottom lip under his teeth as he felt his feet move slightly faster. He finally ended up in front of the guest room and swallowed, anger inside spreading evenly and leveling off, body in a state of a neutrality that makes one feel sick. He lifted his hand from his side and then hesitated before touching the doorknob, feeling his fingers curl in, away from the silver. 

He, however, took a deep breath and waited for a few seconds, thinking about everything and he didn’t know what to call the mess of emotions in his chest anymore. Another breath and he placed his fingers around the knob, getting a decent grip.

Lance stood there for several seconds, alternating pressure before squeezing and turning.

He felt his heart speed up, a sense of overwhelming nauseousness making it hard for him to think about how to even react. His breathing became uneven as he opened the door to a dark room, straining to see if he could hear anything.

But there wasn’t a sign of Keith. 

Lance felt his finger move up along the wall, the light illuminating everything in the empty room. He sucked in a breath and then moved the switch back down. The room became dark once more.

That’s when the worry began to seep in.

Keith hadn’t been in the living room, the kitchen, and the room he’d slept in. This added to the nausea and tension of a broken heart and Lance slowly closed the door, letting go once it was completely shut.  His hand slowly came back to his side and he slowly rubbed his fingers together, to remind himself that he was there.

But where was Keith?

Lance brought his hands together in front of him as he tried to wrap his head around where in the his house Keith could be.

Or if he even was still there.

At that thought, an unbearable weight settled on Lance’s chest, that rawness coming back to coat his throat. He could feel his heart in his chest slow and he did his best to think logically, but it just wasn’t possible. At that, he decided to check every room in the house.

He believed he could find Keith in the rooms he’d never visited, but with every obscure room Lance found himself checking, he found himself moving a little faster, walking with purpose to running. At first, he turned off the lights he’d turned on but he got careless and left rooms bright.

Lance found himself running, running as he slammed open doors, glancing around before going onto the next, all the time going, “Keith!” He went up a flight of stairs but every room he’d decided to check had been empty, still. Dark outlines of furniture in the room were all that greeted him.

After checking the last room that wasn’t his or his friends’ only to find it empty, a bittersweet realization hit him square in the chest. It knocked the breath right out of him once more and he laughed a little bit as he sank to his knees, the pain in his chest incredibly overwhelming.

He’d never done anything to deserve something like this.

“Why?” The ghost of smile lingered before his lips came together, pressing hard against one another as the rawness finally overcame him, the hot tears rolling down his cheeks. A few landed in the corner of his mouth, the salty warmth reminding him of the sea, of Keith, and he lost it. “Fuck,” he whispered, clutching at the front of his shirt, knuckles tight. 

It became harder to breathe as he thought about everything he’d shared with Keith: seconds, minutes, hours, nights, days, clothes, a place to stay, moments, memories, laughter, kisses, car rides, and above all, touch. Lance thought about how the touch had always lingered differently.

Everything was different from the touch he knew from friends and family. It was a comfortable kind of warmth Lance had never known he needed.

But it wasn’t his to keep.

That’s when the sobbing became uncontrollable, breaths being sucked in and Lance felt strangled as he sat there, crying his eyes out. It seemed like the tears would never stop. In the start, he cupped his hand over his mouth, doing his best to keep quiet about it.

But everything was falling apart.

Eventually, he tilted his head back, sobbing loudly like he had once when he was little and he’d scraped his knee trying to learn how to ride his bike. Lance had cried over a scrape that had gotten patched up by his mother and at that point, he thought that was the worst injury he’d ever gotten.

If only his childhood heart had known what was coming.

And to top it off, the night had brought vulnerability like never before. 

As he sat there, his wailing grew louder and louder, causing someone to wake up.

Lance didn’t hear the approaching footsteps that walked towards him. “Lance.” The voice was firm, a little irritated. He looked up through blurry to eyes to find Hunk had found him sitting there and his heart sped back down. “What are you doing? It’s night and you’re slamming doors and running around.”

“I-” It was hard to talk. His throat seized up on him, the rawness burning as the tears kept coming. Hunk sighed, pressing his lips together, the irritation subsiding as he saw Lance, who was crying mess on the floor. He knelt to the floor and he looked at Lance, who was wiping away the tears.

“What happened?”

The memories of the night bombarded Lance all at once and he did his best to take in a deep, shaky breath, exhaling before biting his lower lip hard, almost drawing blood. Thinking about the events of the past several hours was not something Lance didn’t want to recall if he didn’t have to. “I, um, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Okay. Just tell me when you’re ready to, then.” Hunk stood and he extended a hand to Lance, who weakly took it, feeling too much at once, a mess of a person. He grimaced as he stood, his head spinning. “Let’s get you to your room.”

As they started walking, Lance thought about Keith and how he was nowhere to be found. Lance licked his lips slowly, and as a last effort, a last belief in any hope, he spoke. “Do you know where Keith is?” They stopped walking and Hunk gave him a slight smile.

“Actually, I do.” The information was both a blessing and a curse, as Lance lifted his head but also felt the dread still sitting heavy in his body. “Keith is in your room, Lance.”

At that, Lance didn’t know what to feel. But his instinct told him to run and so he did, to the room he thought Keith was the least likely to be in. His heart was pounding as he sprinted, running down the halls until he finally, finally reached his room, the door shut.

Never had he ever felt so unsure about entering his own room.

He quieted his breathing, and it burned a little bit, but he focused on listening for something, a sign, anything. It was hard to hear anything other than the pounding of his own heart in his ears, all the blood rushing to his ears. His did his best to manage a swallow as he brushed his fingertips against the knob of his door. It was cool to the touch and he couldn’t help but overthink a lot.

Lance just didn’t know how to feel anymore.

But he couldn’t stand outside the door forever.

He gathered himself the best he could, running over a thousand and one scenarios that could unfold once he opened the door. Lance took a deep breath, thinking over and over, fingers now wrapped around the doorknob. How would he act? Once he did, how would Keith? Would they end up strangers again? It hurt Lance to think and all the scenarios were wiped from his head as he squeezed the doorknob. 

Nothing would happen if he didn’t open the door.

So, with one final deep breath, he found his way into his room.

It was dark and as his hand moved out to the side, the palm of his hand making its way up a familiar path to the light, he heard a sound he’d grown familiar with all too recently. And at the same time, it hurt him a little in a way that actually made him feel something for Keith.

As the light of the moon came through the darkness outside, the window allowed for light to only reach so far across Lance’s bed, but it was enough.

The sound was breathy, choked up and Lance could see the silhouette of Keith lying on his side across the sheets. Hearing crying almost brought back the rawness, but Lance swallowed it, telling himself to try and think about just what to say.

But what could he say?

Everything else seemed trite, meaningless compared to what he felt right declaring earlier, before...before Ryan came. What he’d wanted to say had been a truth, two words with meaning in a language he’d treasured ever since he was small. He’d been so used to speaking it loved ones, a language of love, of warmth and he finally had felt like sharing that with someone in a more intimate way. Lance just couldn’t believe he’d made the mistake of falling for someone he wasn’t supposed to.

But life was painful like that.

And it had only decided to be this way now, when things were all starting to come together.

While Lance stood there, Keith felt incredibly broken while on his side. He sucked in breath after breath, trying his best to calm himself. His fingers clenched at the sheets and he nestled his cheek closer to the fabric covering Lance’s bed. The scent helped to calm him somewhat and as he heard the door open, he couldn’t bring himself to move.

He was tired.

He had been so ready to change and express the fact that he’d actually fallen for Lance. Keith had been ready and still was, but with Ryan back, it didn’t seem so easy anymore. The spite that he had acted upon earlier was washed away and he learned that this game between him and Lance was real, at least to him.

Keith did his best to take a deep breath, in and out, over and over. His grip loosened and he spread his hand over the sheets, fingers moving in circles slowly. It was all so much.

While Keith continued to lie there, Lance felt the tiredness seep into his bones. The heaviness of the tears he had cried became a more apparent weight upon his face and he blinked once, slowly, deciding that it wasn’t right to say anything then.

But he couldn’t leave the person who could’ve been home.

Lance felt the slow and deliberate sensation as he walked, focusing on placing one foot on the ground after the other. His footsteps were quiet and small in number but it felt like he had walked a mile as he stopped and stood right against the edge of his bed.

He looked down at Keith, studying him longingly, and then he turned towards the door, unable to leave. So, instead, he sat down on the edge of the bed and at that, Keith clenched at the sheets once more, heart beginning to thud inside of his chest.

The room was quiet except for their breathing, a silent sign that they were both still there.

Keith didn’t know what to expect since he’d left Lance while in a state of emotional distress. He expected, to be honest, at the very least, a question asking him what was wrong.

But he got more than he expected.

He felt the mattress move behind him and as Lance’s arm wrapped itself around Keith’s waist, he couldn’t help but stop breathing for a moment. He remained still, feeling his fingers loosen their grip once more. Lance then moved to rest atop the mattress behind Keith and the closeness of touching and yet not was all Keith could think about as Lance situated himself.

Neither of them knew what to do anymore so they both succumbed to the exhaustion that had washed over them only hours before.

As Lance held onto Keith, he felt the heaviness of night crawl over him. He pulled Keith a little closer and nestled his face into Keith’s hair and at that, Keith’s heartbeat stuttered, feeling Lance’s face so close to his neck. He felt a familiar rawness start to flourish once more in the back of his throat.

While Keith felt the onset of being overwhelmed once more, Lance breathed in slowly, lips unsure of what to do upon recognizing the faint essence of mint finally gracing Keith’s hair. He felt his mouth go dry, just a little, unsure if he would be able to manage a small smile without crying.

He knew he couldn’t.

Instead, he nestled his face further into the nape of Keith’s neck, the tiniest bit of hope instilling in him as he breathed in the scent over and over. His body, however, became more and more tired as he continued to lie there, arm around Keith’s stomach. The night got to him then and there.

As the seconds passed by, Lance’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier but so did the words on the tip of his tongue.

So he let them go.

“Te amo.” He didn’t know whether or not he was hoping Keith had heard him. “Te amo, Keith.” His eyelids fluttered shut. “Te amo.” Lance let the wave of tiredness take him away as he pulled Keith close one last time before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, Keith had heard what Lance had said. His eyes grew wide, his heart a shaky mess. Disbelief came over him momentarily and after taking a deep breath, he removed his hand from against the sheets. Slowly, he lowered it so that his arm was on top of Lance’s as Keith placed his hand slowly atop of Lance’s. It was then that Keith felt a warmth he knew would always linger on the palm of that very hand.

He pressed down, lightly, and the rawness still a ghost in his throat came back a little stronger. Keith let his fingers move gently over Lance’s and he did his best to intake a quiet shaky breath before speaking. “Te amo, Lance.” It was a faint whisper, but Keith knew somewhere deep in his heart he had realized his feelings too late. “Te amo.” A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he stayed there, thinking about all that had transpired. 

How it had almost been his.

Keith felt a slight pang in his chest as he stayed awake for a while longer, overwhelmed by the day that had led them to this night. He gently moved his fingertips over Lance’s hand all the while until he finally drifted off into sleep as the clock struck twelve.

And in the morning, Keith woke first, with Lance still holding onto him.

The rawness came back and it was all too much.

Keith removed himself and he sat on the edge of the bed, last night’s words sitting on his shoulders.

He would never forget those words.

After he decided to go back, he stood, allowing himself a glance before taking the break he really needed.

Once the horizon glowed orange, Lance woke up to find Keith gone.

He clenched the sheets beneath him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be perfectly honest, i was shaking before i posted this
> 
> blame nick (chambe5r-the-5-is-silent)
> 
> thank you again to everyone who reads this story you have no idea how much it means when you reach out to me
> 
> shout @ me on tumblr @ bluethisisforyou


	10. they learned everything and nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You can do this.” He stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
> 
> Lance could feel the hesitance flow through his body, locking his limbs, forcing himself to stop in front of the drivers door. The sun was past the middle of the sky, but still quite warm. His palms became slick with sweat and he swallowed.
> 
> He couldn’t turn back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so fucking much for waiting a goddamn month and a half
> 
> here's 7k to make up for it
> 
> somewhat

The blue beneath Lance was something that made him feel numb.

His fingers clutched sheets that were hard to look away from and while his chest wanted to constrict, it just didn’t happen. The material almost disappeared for a bit as Lance zoned out, the reality of everything still around him, as he drowned in it.

After sitting for over ten minutes, he finally let go.

He made himself move, an unsteady attempt at leaving his room and out into the hall. His feet were all he could look at as he stood momentarily, hand against the doorway. Concentration then moved to the act of breathing and he blinked slowly, attempting to know his body in the simplest ways.

It was slow, deliberate, and he managed to make it to the kitchen after stopping a few times to evaluate just what had happened the night before. Except, the words didn’t do much to Lance.

It was over, it was all over.

Bitterness painted a small pained smile on Lance’s face as he kept walking.

When he finally made it to the kitchen, he ran his fingers over the counter, remembering where Keith had sat earlier that week and Lance didn’t know if he could survive living in his own home. He curled his fingers into a fist, resting his knuckles on the cool surface.

As he turned slowly to find the cupboards, his eyes landed on the drawing once more. His fingers now at his sides twitched, touching slightly before approaching the refrigerator.

He wanted so badly to take it down, no, tear it down.

But all he could do was look at it.

It was so...innocent. Lance still couldn’t believe his niece had drawn that and the sincerity in the drawing’s simplicity hurt the most. It stung but he couldn’t blame her- it wasn’t her fault.

He had no one to blame but himself.

Instead, he tore his eyes away and proceeded to think long and hard about what to do next. He managed to remember that he was in the kitchen for food and he moved closer to the cupboard where the cereal was located. He reached up and everything about his movements was slow.

Pouring cereal into a bowl was so tiring but Lance forced himself, so that he could get out of the kitchen, a place too full of memories. He sat himself at the dining room table and he remembered all the memories there as well.

Lance stirred his cereal and milk about with his spoon.

The sound of the spoon hitting the sides of the bowl were strangely hollow as Lance sat there, the empty feeling in his chest no longer strangling him like it had last night.

It had loosened its grip and had set Lance free- but the fact that nothing was holding onto Lance any more made him feel like he was no longer attached to anything, period. It was a floating sensation that enveloped him and stayed with him.

He let a sigh escape from his lips a few minutes later, absentmindedly looking down at his bowl, his breakfast a soggy, inedible mess.

But it wasn’t like he was hungry in the first place.

“Oh look,” a voice sounded, “it’s Lance.” The nature of it was bitter. “Did you enjoy making that racket last night? Cause I sure didn’t enjoy it.”

“Pidge,” came from Hunk warningly. He gave Pidge a look and all Lance could do was look down at his lap, heart clenching inside of his chest.

“Just saying.” There was noise coming from the kitchen and hushed whispering and normal level of talk all mixed together. Lance told himself to move, to go back to his room. He didn’t have the energy to even think about dealing with Pidge, who didn’t know half of it.

Before Lance could summon enough strength, however, Pidge and Hunk sat down on the table. The plates and bowls made sudden noise against the table and Lance winced, but only barely. Chairs were dragged out and then that was it. There were more noises and Lance looked over  slightly to see Pidge dip their spoon into their bowl. Hunk was about to take a spoonful of his own cereal when Pidge spoke.

“He left a note.”

“Pidge.”

“He did.” The bitterness had faded considerably. “All he said was that he’d be back in time for Hawaii.” A pause. “Nothing else.”

Lance didn’t know if he had expected anything else.

But if there had been an apology, he would’ve been even more broken than he already was.

He swallowed slowly, his mouth still dry. Lance watched his hands come together slowly in his lap and he focused on the slowness of the touch, how his fingers slowly moved over the others. It was something to do and to try not to think too hard.

“Does Keith even know we’re leaving in three days?”

Hearing his name made it harder for Lance to breathe.

“I’m not sure,” came from Hunk. “But, he’ll...Keith will be back.”

“He’d better. We gotta go over how we’re gonna fucking fix the damage at the bar last night-”

Lance stood up. The rawness in his throat had overcome him and his fingers balled into fists, squeezing tightly with conviction then unfurling almost as easily. His chair had scooted out from behind him and made an abrupt noise that shut Pidge up.

“Lance,” Hunk ventured but Lance finally did what his body was telling him to do earlier: he moved.

His legs carried him, growing weaker with every step, but he persevered, finding enough energy to find his way back to his room, shutting the door behind him. He let his hand linger on the door, palm spread behind his back. He breathed in, sharp, and curled his fingers.

Lance looked down and then up, at his empty bed, blue sheets no longer home.

“What a fool,” he echoed to himself, pushing away from the door. “What a fool.”

The days that followed blurred together and Lance couldn’t tell the first from the second, but it wasn’t like he had wanted to anyway. He spent his time holed up in his room, lying on his side on top of blue sheets, fingers messing with the fabric slowly, then not at all.

He refused to leave and eat meals in the dining room. Hunk brought him food and coaxed him to eat something, if not all of the food. Lance ate wordlessly, not bothering to show any expression as he did so. It wasn’t something that felt definite and Lance didn’t know what to feel anymore.

He would just lie there, the day and night one and the same to him. Time was no longer relevant to him because he just remembered the time he wished he could forget.

But it was almost impossible.

The quiet that surrounded him, except for the occasional knocking on his door, left him only in the state to think about Keith. And to be perfectly honest, it didn’t help that Lance was in the place where their time spent together had finally fallen apart.

Lance licked at dry lips as he clenched the sheets once more.

Time was no longer relevant to somebody so broken.

But time was still relevant to Pidge.

“Lance!” There was a banging on his door. He didn’t move. “Open up this damn door or I’m coming in!” Lance didn’t bother speaking as he curled his body even more, tiredness moving with his limbs. “Lance Charles McClain, I swear to-” The banging stopped and Hunk’s voice could be heard, albeit low. “Hunk, I don’t care- He’s been in his damn room for two days-”

“Pidge, he’s gone through a lot. Give him a break.”

“All I know is shit went down with Keith’s boyfriend. He should be fine.” With that, the door opened. “Lance, get up.”

“Pidge, I’m serious-”

“As am I! Lance worked too hard to give up this role. We are leaving for Hawaii in the morning and we are leaving with Keith Kogane.” Lance’s heart stung a little at the mere mention of the name. “And he’s going to go get him.”

Lance had a feeling Pidge wasn’t pointing at Hunk. Slowly, he pushed himself up so that he was sitting and he slowly looked at Pidge, their determination tinged with an essence of impatience. “Don’t look at me like that! You’ve wasted nearly two days in here and now you’re going to get your ass in gear and do something useful.”

Lance’s lips wanted to press into a hard frown, bitterness spreading in his mouth. His words were gaining shape and he was about ready to curse Pidge out when Pidge came closer. His heart thudded heavily in his chest as he wasn’t very startled by the closeness of Pidge’s face but was doing his best to breathe and not choke on his own resolve. “Listen,” Pidge said firmly, “I’ve had enough of this.”

“You don’t even know what this is a result of!” The shouting that came from Lance felt sudden and abrupt in his chest, and he didn’t know if it hurt or not. “You don’t know-” Then Lance faltered, unsure of the words he’d stocked up in his head, whether or not they were worth saying.

“Maybe I don’t know what the fuck happened last night but I do know one thing.” Pidge prodded a finger into Lance’s chest and Hunk said Pidge’s name warningly. “You’re going to go find Keith and bring him back.” Pidge pushed with a slight amount of pressure in their small fingertip before stepping back. “That’s what I know, Lance.” They turned. “Get to it.”

“No.” Somehow, the word didn’t sound very convincing leaving Lance’s mouth. It lacked conviction and he regretted it the second it had left his mouth. “I won’t.”

“I’m betting even you know that didn’t sound very convincing. Lance, even if you think I’m being awful, you’re my friend. You’ve worked hard for your career and I’m not going to let you throw it away because you want to fucking run away from something so simple.” Lance felt rumbles of protest build in his chest, even though part of him saw the logic in Pidge’s words. “Go find him. That’s all you have to do. You don’t have to make fucking small talk, for Christs sake. Just find him and bring him back.” There was a pause. “We all have a trip to get ready for.” The sound of footsteps started and then faded as Pidge exited the room, leaving Hunk near the door and Lance still sitting up on his bed.

It was quiet for about a minute before Hunk spoke. “Even though I don’t agree with how Pidge said that, I do agree with what Pidge said.” Lance felt slightly like he was still floating in space. “You should go find him. Maybe, even, talk to him.”

Lance’s mouth went dry at the thought.

“Did the two of you even talk after?”

After a minute, Lance answered. “No.” It was a softer answer yet it had the slightest bit of hope attached to it. It sounded better than the no he’d given Pidge. It sounded like there was a chance everything could be fixed.

A chance.

Lance rolled his lower lip under his teeth and breathed in and out.

He’d have to see Keith again, no matter what.

But at least there was a chance.

“Let me...let me get ready.” Hunk’s eyes widened a little at that as Lance moved his legs so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. His movements were slow, deliberate in all their ways. Hunk smiled a sliver of a smile to himself, lips pressed together. “I’ll...I’ll go get cleaned up.” A pause. “Then I’ll go.”

“I’m proud of you,” came from Hunk as he paused in the doorway before leaving so Lance could get ready.

“Thank you,” Lance said to no one, tears welling up in his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes with back of his hand and then took a deep breath.

Lance stood up.

The warmth of the water that ran down his body almost washed away the tiredness had a hold on his limbs. Lance rested his head against the shower wall, water hitting him, drops rolling along his back and joining into streams that ran down his legs. It was cleansing and Lance noted this was probably the first time he’d skipped showering for a couple days. At that, he had to smile.

What a mess he’d become.

All because he had fallen in love.

Smiling that small smile in the shower was like a breath of fresh air.

The water that cleansed him made him feel new, newer than the night before.

The tears that had been spilled were no longer dried on his cheeks. Lance turned off the knob and breathed in, then out, steadying himself to accept the sensation that the water was no longer falling.

He dried himself and let his face linger in the towel, slowly breathing. Then he continued to dry the rest of himself and wrapped the towel around his waist, looking at himself as the fogged up mirror began to clear. He looked at himself in it, circles underneath his eyes and wet hair pushed back. Lance continued to look at his reflection, allowing himself to see his smile only briefly before leaving the bathroom.

Looking in his closet was incredible, since certain pieces of clothing stuck out to him more than others. He swallowed, gripping the door handle to the closet, ready to give up then and there. But then he felt his grip loosen and he took a deep breath and began pushing clothes this way and that.

Twenty minutes later, Lance was dressed comfortably and before he left his room, he made sure to fix his Dodgers cap upon his head, resisting the urge to go back on his resolve, biting bobby pins between his teeth, alternating pressure.

Once he’d worked his magic, he looked at himself in the mirror again.

“You can do this,” he spoke to himself as he finally left his room, closing his door behind him. He walked away from the room where it happened and made his way down the hall, making head for the living room. Pidge and Hunk were nowhere to be found and for that, Lance was grateful.

He fished his car keys from within the nightstand near the couch where they had all gotten drunk. He took a deep breath as he grasped his keys in his hand and closed the drawer with control. Without letting his eyes linger, he made his way to the front door.

A deep breath and seconds later, the door opened. The world lay on the other side of his doorstep, waiting for him.

“You can do this.” He stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

Lance could feel the hesitance flow through his body, locking his limbs, forcing himself to stop in front of the drivers door. The sun was past the middle of the sky, but still quite warm. His palms became slick with sweat and he swallowed.

He couldn’t turn back now.

He let his fingertips hinge under the handle and he pulled, opening the door.

Once he got settled, he took a deep, almost shaky breath, and then started the car.

He backed out and pulled onto the road, route tattooed in his mind like the back of his hand. Flipping on the turn signal, he made every move with caution.

Even driving down the freeway didn’t have the same recklessness to it.

It was steady.

Entering the city left Lance holding onto the steering wheel a little tighter, waving off people who tried to get his attention while he was stuck in traffic. He kept his eyes in front of him as he pulled into the familiar concrete parking structure.

Mindfully, Lance parked middle level, so that he didn’t have to relive the whole walk with Ryan from last night.

Last night.

Lance parked and then covered his face with his hands.

Fuck.

After taking in several deep breaths, Lance left his car.

Walking across the parking lot and up stairs was starting to make Lance feel a little nauseous, so he focused on placing one foot solidly after the other. He did so until he reached the glass doors of Altea. He took in a deep breath before looking up and opening the door.

There were considerably less people, but still a casual bunch. They all looked at him when he came in and Lance ignored their stares as he made his way to the bar counter, something beginning to feel like it was lodged in his throat. He knocked on the wood of the bar as the bartender on duty came over to him.

“How can I-”

“I would- I would like to speak with Mary.” Lance interrupted. “Please.” The bartender nodded her head slowly and held up one finger as she made her way down the bar and into the back. Lance didn’t know what to do with his damn hands so he just stuck them in his pockets. The chatter all around had slowed a bit and Lance found himself moving towards the door to the back.

When he reached it, Mary came out, arms crossed. “Do you have any idea what happened last night?”

Lance was a little fearful she was mad at him. “It’s-It’s a long story.”

Mary glanced about and then said, “Follow me.”

Lance felt incredibly grateful in that moment, to be taken away from the public eye.

The back was relaxed, two workers chatting and light music playing. Mary sat down and Lance copied her, clasping his hands together on his lap as he didn’t know quite what to do with them. “So, I take it you haven’t heard from Keith, either.”

“Either?” Lance felt his heart drop from his stomach. “He left a note at my...place but he didn’t say anything to you?” Mary shook her head, blonde hair swishing over her shoulders.

“Nothing.” Then it was silent. “But,” Mary started, “the guy who came last night, whoever he was, left a note for Keith.” Her tone was even, indicative of nothing. She stood up and left, coming back with a piece of paper. “Here.”

Whatever felt like it was stuck in Lance’s throat grew a little bit bigger. He took the piece of paper from her and angled it so that he could read the words written in ink.

**I’m going to be in the area for a week; I’m staying at the Paladin. Please stop by and hear me out. My room number is 237. Hope to hear from you soon.**

Reading the note made Lance want to walk himself right out of that room and go find somewhere to cry **.**

But he didn’t. He simply looked up at her and gave her a small, thin-lipped smile. “Thank you.”

Mary’s lips looked like they were about to part, to say something, when she simply nodded in return. Lance stood up, heart pounding inside his chest, and he wasn’t even at Ryan’s door. He folded the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket, doing his best to hide the fact that his hands were shaking. As he turned to go, he told Mary goodbye.

To that, she answered, “I hope you find him, Lance.”

“I hope so too.”

The walk back to his car wasn’t so bad. That raw feeling in his throat wasn’t as strong and holding onto his car keys gave his hands something to do. He would be fine, for the time being.

Pulling out and beginning the drive was a different story.

Lance knew of the Paladin.

He knew the route to it from Altea like the back of his hand. The hotel was where Lance, Pidge, and Hunk had spent the night before Lance’s first audition. It was nostalgic in its memories of the past and Lance allowed himself to indulge in a small wistful smile as he gripped the steering wheel harder and harder as he got closer and closer.

Lance arrived in no time at all, traffic ironically not so bad.

He pulled into the turnabout and got out. “I’m just visiting,” he explained to the valet, who accepted his keys with a single nod.

Entering the lounge was almost like deja vu.

The room glowed in a faded, golden way, large vases with flowers arranged in accordance to color. People stood in line to check in, suitcases behind them. Sunglasses perched atop their heads, people studied their phones casually, in between conversation.

Mirrors sat on opposite ends of the room and chandeliers hung above Lance as he made his way to the elevator. He waited for it to open, relief flooding him at the sight of it being empty. He stepped in and pressed the button that would take him several floors up.

The doors closed.

When the elevator ascended, Lance could feel his stomach shift slightly. He swallowed, looking at his reflection in the silver of the elevator wall across from him. It was a short-lived experience as the doors opened and he stepped out into the carpeted hallway.

A thousand and one conversations flashed through Lance’s mind and his heart beat faster in his chest the closer he got, heart pounding violently when he finally stood in front of room 237.

Lance inhaled a deep breath, half-praying Ryan wouldn’t be there.

He knocked.

Seconds passed and Lance could feel the tension that knotted in his back began to fade away as no one answered. Lance let the breath he’d been holding in escape, his relief interrupted as the door flew open.

“It’s you.” Ryan stood in the doorway. “How-”

“The note from Altea,” Lance managed steadily. “Keith went somewhere and I-”

“I see.” Ryan looked down quickly at his feet and then back up. “Here, why don’t you come in?” He turned to head further into the room and Lance wanted so badly to run. But then he thought about what Pidge had told him earlier and he swallowed his fear.

He closed the door behind him and found himself in a room familiar to the layout he’d known in the past. The only difference was that there was one bed and it was a tiny bit smaller. Curtains drawn apart, Lance could see into the face of other buildings.

Flowers sat in a vase near the sink and so did personal belongings that Ryan had brought with him. He walked closer to the bed and Ryan asked, “Do you want to sit on the bed or on the chair?”

“Chair, please.” Lance’s voice was low, almost non-existent as he fixed the volume after.

Ryan pulled out the chair that sat in front of the desk and pulled it so that it faced the edge of the bed. He then sat on his bed and Lance sat down across from him, the hum of the air conditioner the only thing that filled the brief wordless silence.

“So, how long has this been going on?” Ryan spoke first, refusing to look away from Lance.

“Well, I accidentally called Keith while he was still in Korea. Two weeks later, I took him out for coffee as an apology and I...kissed him.” Lance let his eyes flicker down to his hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking and well, the paparazzi managed to take pictures at the time.

“Several days later, we brought Keith to Los Angeles and asked him to fake date me for the purpose of showing him that I wasn’t just messing around, that I was serious. He didn’t want to at first. Said he had...you.” Lance looked at Ryan, who made no expression as he listened. “But then he changed his mind.

“We’ve been fake dating for the past week.” Lance interlocked his fingers in his lap. “All we’ve done in terms of affection is hold hands and...kiss. But it didn’t mean anything, you know?” He finished speaking, letting his words fade, that raw feeling building its way back up again in the back of his throat. Ryan stayed quiet for a minute or two and then he spoke.

“I understand.” Lance looked at Ryan more directly, surprised at what he was hearing. “I think,” Ryan brushed at the tip of his nose with a finger, “that I understand why this all happened.” He clasped his hands together on his lap and leaned forward, resting his arms on his lap. “Remember what I told you the night we met? About how Keith was mistaken?”

“Yeah,” Lance breathed, leaning back into his chair.

“Well, it took me a bit to piece it all together. The day Keith called and my coworker answered, my coworker told me Keith had called. I was going to call him back but something came up with work. Then, Keith texted me about how he was going to be in Los Angeles for art.

“Of course I had to support him.” Ryan smiled a ghost of a smile and Lance was a little taken aback. “So I texted him back and only a few days later did I realize that it was my boyfriend who was running around with a movie star.” The emphasis on the word ‘my’ made Lance’s heart constrict in his chest and he studied his hands once more. “So I had to come deal with this face to face, sort of like a reminder of a reality that still exists.” Ryan stroked his jaw. “I mean, he cheated on me but only because he thought I had cheated on him.” The air conditioner then resumed to be the only noise in the room. Lance had no pressing questions sitting on the tip of his tongue.

Everything had been explained.

The tears were beginning to well up and Lance was about to excuse himself but Ryan broke the wordless silence. “Are you in love with him?” The question was soft, no pointedness about it. But to Lance, it felt like the toughest question he had ever heard.

“No, of course not.” Lance shrugged and looked away, hoping to look casual. “Like I said, it was nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.” The conviction in this no left Lance much more content with himself.

Then Ryan smiled. “Keith is amazing; I don’t blame you.” And then that was it. Ryan sat back and slapped his hands on the top of his thighs before standing up. “Does he know?”

“No.” This no made Lance want to crawl into a corner and cry.

“Well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” That constricting feeling in Lance’s chest squeezed harder than before and he trained his eyes to look out the window instead of at Ryan.

It was over.

“Do you know where he is?”

Hope.

“No.”

“Well, I have an app that can track cars, you know, in case they get stolen.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket and Lance watched, a little on edge as he sat up straighter, waiting. Ryan hummed as he waited and then looked, eyes widening slightly.

“Well?” Lance’s anticipation guided him to scoot forward to the edge of his seat.

“He’s in Seattle.”

“Oh,” was all Lance could say, then he actually smiled. He stood up, legs less shaky than they were before. “Okay.” He nodded at Ryan. “I’m going to go get him.” And then he left before Ryan could speak, closing the door carefully behind him before he began running down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him.

Waiting for and in the elevator was torture.

When the elevator finally opened up on the ground floor, Lance ran. He ran to the valet and fiddled with his hands while he waited for his car to be pulled up in front him. Once the valet got out, he was practically in the driver's seat seconds after.

Lance sent a poorly spelled text to Hunk, telling him to make sure the helicopter was ready when he got there. Then he tossed his phone on the passenger seat, which bounced and landed on the car floor. But Lance didn’t care; he was already gone.

The recklessness seeped back into his body.

He craved so badly to go faster and faster but then he realized that he wouldn’t even live to get to Seattle. So he restrained himself, turning on the radio to accentuate the pleasant feeling of hope that had come back to him, even stronger than before.

Driving back was a nightmare but he made it. He parked the car, yanking the keys out after turning off the ignition and leaning down to scoop up his phone. Once he had both, he sat back up and opened the door, slamming it in his haste. He ran to the front door and pushed it open, running through his house to reach the top.

The wind was blowing, a slightly warm breeze greeted Lance as he finally got to the roof.

“Hey, he’s finally here!” Lance saw Hunk and surprisingly, Pidge too, next to the helicopter.

A warm feeling blossomed in Lance’s chest as he made the decision to run towards them, hugging them one he had reached them, holding them close. “Thank you both.”

“Of course,” came from Hunk as he hugged Lance back with equal affection.

“Sure,” came from Pidge, who patted Lance awkwardly and then squirmed to get away. Once free, they said, “Now, we should probably get going.”

“Yeah.”

Everything seemed much better.

Lance watched the ground below excitedly like a child as Hunk flew the helicopter up into the air. Pidge secretly looked back and smiled a little, switching to a look when Lance looked at him.

The flight was painful, too.

Everything took time that was too precious to waste.

The world was small below, shifting in terrain.

But Lance didn’t notice.

Once they’d finally arrived, the helicopter descended and Lance undid his seatbelt as soon as the descent started. “Idiot, you’d die if this thing crashed,” came from Pidge.

“We’d all die, actually,” Lance pointed out matter-of-factly. “It’s sweet that you actually care about me.”

“I take back what I said.”

“Too late, Hunk witnessed it all, right buddy?”

“One for the books,” Hunk smiled and Pidge stared out the window and the ground came closer and closer. Once the helicopter finally landed, Lance was out the door before the blades completely stopped spinning. Hunk and Pidge remained, watching as Lance ran to the entrance of the coffee shop.

Then he slowed down, halting in front of the door.

If he was wrong, then he was wrong.

And it was over; it was like an action that had never even happened.

He ran a hand through his hair and swallowed. Lance put his hand on the door and pushed.

The music was calm inside the place. Low and smooth, intermixed with the unmistakable warmth of a coffee shop. A few people glanced up, recognizing him and then talking hushed with one another, looking at one another than back up. But no one did anything.

Lance scanned the room slowly, heart pounding in his chest as he came to the end of his search.

And there he was.

In the corner, there was a familiar silhouette with an even more familiar head of hair.

Lance could feel a smile play on his lips.

And then he remembered.

So he just stared, his heart pounding in his ears, a mixture of emotions thriving inside of him.

The music played on.

Keith took a drink from his coffee and he looked down at his phone, brushing his hair behind his ear as he did so. The steam wafted up and he rubbed at his arms slowly, looking up out the window. Then his eyes widened slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

And then he turned his head.

His hair shifted with him, brushing over the bridge of his nose. Eyes wide and disbelieving, he sat there, looking right at Lance.

He was looking right at him.

And Lance was looking at Keith.

Then, with a tremendous bound of courage, Lance made his way over, stopping directly in front of Keith.

“Lance?” Keith’s voice was soft, almost lost in the music, but Lance could hear it loud and clear.

“The one and only,” he answered back, giving him a small smile.

“How did you know I was here?”

“As a beautiful man, I have my ways.” Keith felt his heart flutter a little at the familiarity of the words, of Lance coming to get him.

“I see.” He averted his eyes. “So, you came to get me for Hawaii, huh?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow, so, yeah.”

Then Keith looked back at Lance. “No other reason?”

Lance’s eyes widened slightly.

Keith couldn’t have heard him...could he?

The words were there, right on the tip of his tongue.

_So why couldn’t he say them?_

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Then they faded.

“Also, Pidge would have my ass if I didn’t come get you.”

“Right.” For Keith, that word tasted like he’d bitten into a lemon seed. The bitterness made him want to cry- but he had no right, none at all.

Only he could fix it.

“Lance, I-”

He looked at Keith, almost expectantly, and that’s when Keith noticed the bags underneath Lance’s eyes.

They were telling enough.

But now wasn’t the time.

 _If so, when_? Keith thought. Then he shook himself out of it.

Lance deserved better.

 _A better confession or someone better than you_? crossed Keith’s mind.

He could feel rawness spreading in the back of his throat.

“I’m ready to go when you are.”

Lance was careful not to let his face falter. “Then let’s go.”

When they climbed in, Hunk went, “It’s good to see you again.”

It sounded like a lie to Keith.

“Yeah, good to see you, too.” Hunk smiled at him and the doubt wavered in Keith’s mind. Pidge stayed silent in the front and the ride back was quiet, quiet in all its ways. The sun had disappeared and the stars were out, fading as they got closer to the city.

The moon was a sliver in the dark sky and Keith found himself glancing over at Lance, the moonlight on his face as he looked out the window. He told himself to stop looking because every time he did, it felt like he was only pushing himself farther away.

He held onto his phone and he looked out his window, the lights so small below.

How he wished he could be closer.

And then they arrived back at Lance’s house, and Keith was still wishing.

He was so close.

They all walked off the roof together, Keith right behind Lance, close enough to reach out and stop him, tell him everything.

Their legs moved without fail and before they knew it, they were all inside. The lights were turned on and Keith recognized everything without fail. All the halls and the direction to the kitchen, the living room, to the dining room, to his room, to Lance’s room.

It hurt.

“I’ll make this very clear,” Pidge said, breaking the silence once they got to the dining room. “We’re leaving tomorrow at 7:32 a.m. exactly. Expect to pack for around a month or two.”

A month or two.

Keith watched Lance’s still back in front of him.

“Pack tonight. I’ll see you all in the morning. Night.”

They left first, then Hunk.

Then it was just them.

 _So close_.

“I’ll bring most of my clothes, since you probably don’t have enough for that long.” Lance turned, eyes hard to read. He smiled.

“Thank you,” Keith managed, careful of his words.

“Of course.” Lance looked away before locking eyes with Keith. “What are friends for?”

 _Yet so far_.

Keith said good night first, fleeing and managing to catch a glimpse of the drawing still on the fridge.

 _Shit_.

He walked and as soon as he was out in the hall, he ran.

Keith ran as fast as his legs would carry him and they almost gave out before he opened the door to his room. He turned the doorknob and slammed the door behind him.

Then he faced the room, sliding his back along the door, legs like jelly underneath him. He hit the floor in a sitting position and the tears just came out like it was nothing.

“Why are you...why are you crying?” he whispered, sucking in silent breaths. “You fucked it up.” Keith sucked in a sharp breath, eyes stinging as he squeezed them shut with force. “You absolute idiot.” He clenched his teeth together, clutching at the fabric over his heart.

“You fool.” He drew his knees to his chest and cried until he couldn’t anymore.

When the clock struck twelve, he stopped crying.

Slowly, he got up and went to the closet, opening it and seeing the bags of clothes he’d purchased when he’d gone shopping with Lance. That was pretty much it.

His bartending uniform hung on a hanger, his red cropped jacket there as well.

Keith blinked slowly, feeling the heaviness of his eyelashes against his cheeks.

He breathed in, then out.

After that, he began to pack.

Once he was done, he climbed into bed and looked up at the ceiling while he rested on his back.

2:37 passed by and he didn’t fall asleep.

In fact, he didn’t sleep at all.

Morning rolled around; Keith got up and made his way to the dining room.

He didn’t bother changing as he took the minimal amount of belongings with him.

The dining room was pretty much empty except for Pidge, who sat there drinking coffee. Their luggage sat next to them and silence enveloped them.

Keith walked in. The fatigue expected from last night still hadn’t caught up with him.

“Morning,” he said, as he came closer to the table.

The silence stayed.

He took a seat at the table, the sound of the chair being pulled back consuming the entire room.

Everything felt like it had began again.

“I’m not mad at you, you know.” Relief flooded over Keith as he looked over at Pidge. “But, I’m a little disappointed. After all, you made my friend cry.” Pidge smiled smally.

“I did?”

They set their mug down, giving Keith a look. “You didn’t hear all that door-slamming Friday night?”

“I was too busy crying, actually.” Keith looked down at his hands, almost sighing.

“You guys are incredible.”

“Well, how would you feel if you fell for him-” He cut his words off too late. Pidge raised their coffee mug off the table. They looked down into it, then at Keith.

The lack of surprise on Pidge’s face was apparent.

“So, I was right.” Keith covered his face with his hands. “Oh, come on. It was pretty obvious.” Pidge took a drink of their coffee. “I can’t believe you two, honestly. Lance is pretty much head over heels for you-”

“He was.” Last night burned vividly in Keith’s mind.

“Keith, look-” Then Lance showed up.

Both of them were surprised to see Lance up so early, dressed and ready to go. “You two look like you just saw a ghost.” He smiled and it was normal.

It was normal.

“That’s because I honestly expected you to be late, like usual.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pidge.” He made his way over so that he sat directly across from Keith and not next to him.

“Anything for the piece of trash I see every day.”

“You love this piece of trash,” Lance gestured to himself, smiling.

 _It’s true_ , Keith thought.

“Whatever you want to tell yourself,” Pidge said, as they finished their coffee and left to go put their mug away.

Keith didn’t dare look at Lance.

He did his best to look everywhere else.

“You ready?” came from Lance, and Keith’s heart pounded in his chest as he looked at Lance, who was looking elsewhere.

“Yeah.” Then the silence sat heavy once more.

Pidge came back and talk resumed, mostly between Pidge and Lance. Keith left to go to the kitchen, looking for something to eat. He did his best to avoid looking at the drawing or else his heart would break then and there all over again.

He didn’t need that.

As he was making himself a snack, Hunk came into the kitchen.

“How are you?”

“Fine.” The way Keith said it sounded like a breath, drawn out and not at all fine.

“It’ll be okay.” He looked up rapidly, hair brushing his face, as Hunk smiled briefly and then took his breakfast to the dining room. Keith watched, unable to finish making his breakfast.

So he poured himself a glass of water and squeezed it tight as he made his way back to the table.

There was talk, there was banter as usual.

But Keith didn’t feel like a part of it anymore.

The time passed and the four of them found themselves assembling their belongings and getting ready to head out to the airport. Pidge checked the security system while Hunk made sure all the lights were off in all of the rooms.

Keith sat on the couch in the living room and then was enlisted to help bring the luggage to the car with everyone else. He had the least and yet it felt like the heaviest bag out of all of them.

Everyone climbed into the car, except for Lance. He exited his house, keys in his hand.

He could do this.

But what exactly was ‘ _this_ ’? Lance asked himself as he locked the front door.

He turned and saw his friends and the boy he was in love with.

What was ' _this_ '?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell @ me on tumblr ; the name is bluethisisforyou
> 
> thank you to everyone who helps me with this fic and those who care enough that i update this lmao
> 
> yall are amazing and i couldn't have asked for better readers!!!


	11. and that helped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The music started and he was gone.
> 
> Lance just looked at him, longingly, and Pidge sighed.
> 
> “You two make me want to light myself on fire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok but that chapter summary is #me

Lance thought silently the whole ride over.

In fact, no one talked in the car.

That is, except for Keith.

“Yeah, I promised.” He held his phone to ear, heavy, incredibly heavy.

He didn’t know why he had picked up Ryan’s call.

“It’s just for show.” He wished he could shrink away into nothing. “It’ll be good, after all, college is expensive.” Hearing his voice was just something to pull him through the car ride to the airport. “Yeah, I don’t think so.” It was getting harder to breathe. “See you in a month or two.”

And then he hung up.

He did his best to hide the fact that he was shaking.

But of course, everyone pretended like they hadn’t noticed.

Especially Lance.

He just balled one of his hands into a fist at his side.

The car ride took a bit but when they got there, they were put through the standard TSA procedure and then directed a different way from the packed waiting areas. They walked down long carpeted halls, glass panes on either side, and Keith watched Lance the whole way.

He walked ahead of everyone else and walked with purpose.

Keith shook himself out of it once or twice, but his eyes kept going back.

He finally kicked himself of it when he realized that the plane they had boarded was a private one.

There were sparse arrangements of chairs and tables and a bar in the back.

Keith wanted to turn on his heels, save himself right then and there.

But then he heard.

“Impressed?” he turned to see Lance, hat turned backwards, a cocky smile on his face like the ones he had used when they first were around one another.

It was a sight.

“Sure, I guess.”

“You guess? Damn Kogane, this is the best plane for the best actor.” He splayed a hand across his chest and Lance was trying.

“Whatever you want to tell yourself.” And then Keith allowed a small, fleeting smile. He couldn’t allow himself to be near Lance any longer so he picked a seat, the one furthest from the bar. He didn’t dare look at Lance as he got himself settled, placing an earbud into his ears, turning his head so he could look out the window.

The music started and he was gone.

Lance just looked at him, longingly, and Pidge sighed.

“You two make me want to light myself on fire.”

“Excuse me?” Lance asked, but at that, Pidge busied themself with opening their laptop. He stared at his friend who’d placed their headphones on and then at Keith, who was looking out the window. Hunk sat on the couch and opened a book.

It was gonna be a hell of a flight, Lance thought.

“Everyone, we’re going to prepare for take off now.”

Yet these words were lost on Lance.

He walked down the middle and as the plane began to ascend, he fell sideways. He braced himself as his left forearm hit the wall above the window and his right hand pressed to the seat. “Jesus, christ-” He squeezed his eyes tightly shut before opening them, realizing his face was inches from Keith’s.

He looked up at him, startled, lips parted.

Lance wanted so badly to bridge the distance.

To go closer.

Lance felt his arms shake slightly as he held himself up, eyes still connected with Keith’s.

It was like neither of them could look away.

Keith wanted so badly to look away because everything was over.

But something in Lance’s eyes suggested almost otherwise.

It made his heart pound in his chest, overpowering the sound of the music playing in one ear.

Then Pidge sneezed really loudly.

“Bless you,” came from Lance, as he stood up, pushing himself away, finally.

“Oh, hey, you do have manners.” Lance scoffed as he looked at Pidge, hands on his narrow hips. At that, Keith had to smile. It instantly disappeared as soon as Lance turned back to him, looking at him, a quizzical look on his face.

“So, you listen to country music, huh?”

“What?” and the familiar twangs rang back in his Keith’s ear, heart beginning to slow down. Lance pointed a finger at his own ear and then at the earbud in Keith’s. “Oh, yeah.”

“We’re gonna fight.”

“Excuse me?”

“Country sucks.”

“Whatever you say,” Keith muttered, unsure if it would be a good idea to smile, so he didn’t. He put the other earbud in his ear and settled into his seat, leaning his forehead against the wall. He looked down as everything got smaller and he let the music take him away.

Lance bit his lower lip and then moved on.

He took a seat next to Hunk, since he knew Pidge would make remarks about the whole situation being frustrating as hell.

And it was.

But Lance didn’t want to hear it.

As soon as he sat down, he looked at Hunk who gave a small smile before returning to reading. Lance rested his elbow on the arm of the couch and rested his cheek against his face. It was going to be awhile.

The time flew by incredibly slowly.

Lance struggled to get comfortable and fall asleep, looking through some magazines lazily, occasionally glancing at Keith, who passed out ten minutes in, his unknown fatigue finally taking a toll. Pidge sat, still on their computer and Hunk had moved so Lance stretched out on the couch.

It was uncomfortable but Lance had felt worse only several days ago.

He took a deep breath and then forcibly shut his eyes, waiting for sleep to come and it did.

Before he knew it, he woke up in a seat, seatbelt across his lap and head resting on someone’s shoulder. He blinked slowly, heavily, almost too tired to wake up. So nestled his head onto the shoulder and continued sleeping as the pilot announced they were preparing for landing.

At that sound, Keith opened his eyes and moved to stretch when he realized there was a weight on one of his shoulders. He turned his head and his heart sped up as he saw a familiar head of brown hair so close to him once more. Keith tried his best not to breathe.

He looked around, seeing Hunk and Pidge in the seats in front of him and he wondered, desperately, how Lance had ended up next to him, of all people. Keith bit his lower lip and looked out the window, realizing he still had his earbuds in and country stilled played in his ear. He removed the one earbud he could without waking Lance and then he stared out the window and watched as the ground got closer and the plane descended beneath the clouds.

Everything was so green and beautiful as they flew over the vast blue of the ocean that separated Hawaii from the continent of North America. Beach outlined the island and Keith rested his head against the side of the plane, doing his best to think about anything other than Lance’s head on his shoulder.

His heart certainly wasn’t helping and neither was his head.

_Shit, Keith, calm down._

As the plane descended and the wheels hit the ground, Lance startled. He groaned, pushing his head into Keith’s shoulder and then blinked, looking right in front of him, to the left and then to the right, seeing legs dressed in black jeans. He blinked a bit and then he thought, realizing whose shoulder he was using as a headrest. Lance swallowed, wondering if he should move or continue faking it, so that way he wouldn’t have to face Keith minutes before the plane unloaded.

And naturally, Lance shut his eyes once more.

Keith sent a silent thanks above that Lance was still asleep.

The sound of a seatbelt being unclicked early was followed by “Pidge, no.” and at that, Keith had to smile a small smile. As the minutes passed, the plane finally came to a halt and the sound of Hunk’s seatbelt unclicking sounded and Keith looked out the window once more, seeing a beautiful blue sky painted with clean white clouds. It was beautiful.

And then Keith looked over at Lance, deciding that was an even more beautiful view.

He took a deep breath and then gently moved his shoulder up and down.

“Lance. Wake up. We’re here.”

Lance waited several seconds before he lifted his head and then stretched, shutting his eyes tightly before letting them open finally. “Oh, okay.” He was tempted to say something about how he’d mysteriously moved to Keith’s side but he just kept his mouth shut. He smiled smally then unbuckled and got up, going to greet Pidge and Hunk.

Keith gripped the armrests then unbuckled, not knowing what to make of anything anymore.

As he walked ahead with Hunk to leave the plane, Lance and Pidge walked behind them.

“How did that happen?” Lance lowered his voice.

“How did what happen?” Pidge asked, as they looked down at their phone.

“ _Pidge_.”

“Well, when two people love each other very much-”

“Pidge I swear to god-”

“Oh, so you have gotten the talk. Good to know.” They exited the side attached to the plane and made their way into the busy airport. “Didn’t seem like it, if you wanted the story behind my birth.”

“I was asleep on the couch, last I remember.” Lance growled, keeping an eye on Hunk and Keith to make sure they were still moving ahead of them. “What happened?”

“Well, Hunk was concerned for your safety and I just wanted him to stick you there. Not much else to it.”

“There were other seats-”

“You’ve got to get over this.” Pidge looked at Lance as they rode down the escalator. “After all, you two are sharing a room.”

“Pidge-”

“Oh look, there’s the car.” And true to their words, a limo awaited them all in the roundabout. A cool breeze blew by, shaking the palms gently and the sky seemed even bluer than when Keith had looked out the window. Lance accidentally bit his tongue and cursed in his head as the luggage was loaded in and they all climbed in.

It was so quiet at first, and that bothered Lance.

Keith decided to roll down the window and stick his head out to admire where he was.

After all, it was better than silence.

The buildings were tall and the streets busy. Everything was clustered together but nothing too unbearable. Keith inhaled and he caught a whiff of the ocean and he didn’t dare look at Lance, no matter how much he wanted to.

Chatter of people and tourists could be heard all around as the limo made its way to the hotel, one that sat on the breathtaking beachfront. Visitors and locals hung around and Keith took as much of it in as he could as everyone climbed out of the car.

The luggage was taken down and then another car came, bringing a few more of Lance’s belongings, including a familiar looking surfboard. Keith felt his mouth go dry at that, as he thought of the wetsuit Lance had worn that one day. He shut his eyes and covered his face with his hands as he prepared himself for what was coming.

But he wasn’t ready, not one bit.

After they checked in, the four of them took the elevator to the top floor and they noted there were only four rooms. “Wow, I didn’t know we each got one.”

“We don’t.” Pidge’s glasses flashed. They walked off and Hunk followed, giving a small smile before following Pidge into one of the rooms. At that, Keith bit down hard on his lower lip. He turned to look at Lance, who held the key in his palm, looking at it.

“We’re in suite 2.” He walked and Keith followed, gripping the bags in his hands tightly before releasing his tight grip. He watched as Lance hesitated, then stuck the keycard in, turning the door handle, swinging the door open.

It was beautiful, for lack of a better word.

There was a living space before them, prim and white, with brown leather couches and a glass table with pink and white flowers in a clear vase. To the left, there was a kitchen and a counter, similar to the one Lance had at his house. But past that, there were no walls blocking any sort of view. The baby blue of the sky glowed and the clouds could be seen mostly, a strip of ocean at the bottom of the window view. The sunlight hit the waves and Keith couldn’t look away.

Lance shut the door behind him. “So, as you can see, the living room and kitchen area is out here.” He paused. “Bedroom’s this way.” Keith turned, his neck feeling hot as Lance walked to the right and Keith took a deep breath before following.

It was so...soft.

The aura of the room, as one side provided a similar view out of glass panels. Sheen white curtains were drawn aside, practically glowing. Two dark brown polished tables sat on either side of the one queen bed at the center of the room.

One bed, huh? They both thought silently to themselves. That’s…

“So, I’ll sleep on the couch,” came from Lance, beating Keith.

“You’re not,” Keith said softly. He turned to make eye contact with Lance. “You’re going to need your beauty sleep.” He gave a small smile. “I’ll take the couch.”

Lance pushed his hair back with his hand and rested his other hand on his hip. Keith bit his lower lip as quick as he could before getting caught. And then Lance fucking smiled.

“I’m not that much of an asshole, Keith.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Thanks.” Lance said, giving him a face, and Keith wished nothing had gone wrong before that very moment. That everything was okay and normal but it was still...unfamiliar. They both looked anywhere but the bed. Lance cursed Pidge in his head and Keith felt like visiting the beach once more.

“Hey, Lance?”

“Yeah?”

Keith gripped his bag in his hand and swallowed his fear. “Why don’t we figure this out later and go to the beach in the meantime?”

“You want to see me shirtless again, don’t you?”

“LANCE-” Keith stopped as Lance laughed. He wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, the aching in his fingertips growing more apparent as he thought back to the beginning, what it was all like. While Keith stood there, Lance stopped laughing and then smiled smally.

“Yeah, that would be nice.” Keith felt the tension in his body dissipate and he nodded back slowly. “I’ll go get changed in the bathroom first.” He watched as Lance opened his suitcase and rifled through, grabbing his trunks and a shirt. He walked into the bathroom door and shut it behind him.

Keith almost crumpled to the floor.

Instead, he fell face first onto the bed, heart fluttering inside his chest. After a minute of that, he sat up and rubbed the sides of his face with his hands. He was screwed, who was he kidding?

The bathroom door opened and Keith almost jumped out of his skin. Lance walked out, adorned with blue trunks and a white t-shirt, which was tied at his waist, showing a sliver of skin. Keith did his absolute best not to let his eyes linger.

Lance went, “You’re gonna have to borrow one of my trunks.”

_Shit._

Lance tossed him some black and red ones and then Keith made his way into the bathroom as quickly as he could without making it seem like he was moving as fast as his legs could carry him. The bathroom door shut and then Lance collapsed on the bed.

He was going to die.

Then he sat up, head in his hands as he sat hunched over on the edge of the bed.

He sat up right before Keith opened the door, ready for the beach, hair up in a ponytail.

 _Shit_ , Lance thought behind a smile. _Shit, shit, shit_.

They gathered their things and made their way down in the elevator, silence taking over much more than necessary. Both of them looked straight ahead at their reflections, wondering if the other had noticed, had liked the way they looked.

The doors opened into the lobby and right as Keith was about to leave, Lance intertwined his fingers with Keith’s. This startled him and he looked back, heart pounding in his ears. Lance squeezed a little tighter and then pulled ahead, making Keith trail behind him.

People looked and then they didn’t. It seemed as though not many people knew Lance McClain, and for that, Keith was grateful. The glass doors opened in front of them and they walked down some stairs to make their way down onto the sand. The air was cool and salty, a welcome memory Keith could never choose to forget.

Umbrellas were planted everywhere and people rested in the sun on towels. Children played in the sand and constantly ran back and forth, from the sand to the sea, splashing one another. The beautiful blue called but Keith could only think about the hand holding his.

They walked down the beach, weaving in and out, eventually finding a spot that was less crowded and a little closer to a more forested area. That’s when Lance let go and Keith could finally work on resuming a regular heartbeat.

But, of course, that regular heartbeat was going to have to wait for quite some time.

After Lance finished spreading out both towels, he proceeded to remove his shirt.

Keith shouldn’t have been surprised- Lance was still as beautiful as ever.

He sucked in a quiet breath, seeing the black line that started Lance’s tattoo run near his hipbone. It was like seeing it all over again and as that happened, Keith thought about Olivia and her children and his expression softened.

As he stared at Lance’s hips, Lance was about to say something but then noticed as eyes became more wistful and his face incredibly serene. So, Lance shut his mouth and turned his body towards the sea and that caused Keith to try and shake himself out it, before he became too sentimental.

“It’s beautiful.” Keith mentioned.

“Yeah,” Lance said, looking at Keith. “It is.”

Keith could’ve sworn Lance was looking at him but he told himself it was only wishful thinking. At that, he grabbed his elbow and stood there, telling himself to breathe. The sound of the waves calmed his nerves greatly, as the tide met the shore and pulled back. The constant noise was reassuring.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to go swimming?” Lance asked, a small playful smile on his face. Every bone in Keith’s body told him that was a really bad idea. Swimming with Lance again after everything was anything but wise.

But Keith had made the mistake of getting entangled in this whole mess of feelings.

 _It couldn’t get any worse_ , he thought as he pulled his shirt up and off, the sun’s warmth caressing his body. At that, Lance smiled wider and Keith smiled back. It was different.

Yet it was the same.

“Last one in is a loser!” Lance called, beginning to run.

“Lance, wait!” called Keith, a dangerous surge of courage flowing through him under the warm Hawaiian sun. Lance actually dug his feet into the sand, pausing, back half-turned, beautiful brown hair askew.

“Yeah?” Lance asked.

Keith smiled to himself as he walked over to Lance and his heart thudded in his chest as he kept his outward composure. All the sounds of the beach washed away as Keith leaned in, missing Lance’s lips at the last second and he whispered into his ear. “Like I’d lose to you.” He smiled and then took off running, making it to the tide first. He threw his hands in the air, splashing water. Keith then turned around to find Lance standing where he’d left him.

He couldn’t quite make out the expression on Lance’s face, wondering if he’d done something wrong.

But even anyone close enough or passing by Lance couldn’t tell that his face felt hot as hell.

And it wasn’t because of the sun.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Shit.” He covered his mouth with one hand and tried to comprehend what had even happened. It shouldn’t have been like that. Keith should’ve kissed him.

But he also shouldn’t have pulled that.

Or should he have?

“..ce? Lance, hey, are you okay?” Lance started as he finally noticed Keith in front of him. He looked genuinely worried, eyes soft and lips slightly parted. Without thinking, Lance placed his hand on the side of Keith’s face, cupping his cheek. At that, Keith’s eyes widened slightly.

“I’m…” Lance faltered, as he ran his thumb back and forth across Keith’s cheekbone. “I’m…” The warmth of Lance’s palm on his face made his heart pound even faster.

Then Lance leaned in.

He got closer and closer and Keith could feel his breath on his lips.

And that’s all he ever felt.

Lance pulled back, longing lingering in the back of his throat.

But he succumbed to the hesitancy that told him ‘not yet’.

He sighed and removed his hand, the warmth that slipped away hitting Keith right in the gut. He stood there, strands of hair framing his face and he blinked, slowly, watching Lance carefully. It was a moment that lingered heavily and Keith wanted to something to happen.

No, not something- he knew exactly what he wanted.

“Lance, I-”

“We should probably go in the sea.” Lance looked away. “After all, that’s what we came for.”

Keith swallowed hard before Lance finally made eye contact, smiling.

“Let’s go.” He extended his hand and without a second thought, Keith took it like it was second nature. After that, they walked down to the water, lapping at their feet. Back and forth, the water washed over them and they didn’t let go. “Bet you anything that I could beat you in a race to see who can swim farthest.”

“Anything, huh?” Keith murmured, unconsciously squeezing Lance’s hand a little tighter. Lance’s heart fluttered inside his chest as he pretended not to notice. “Well, when I win, I want you to wake up Pidge so I can see what happens.”

“When you win? What makes you say that?” Lance cocked his head, easing into a small incredulous smile.

“I did swim for several years.” Keith brushed his hair behind his ear with his free hand and smiled.

“Buddy, you’re looking at a surfer.”

“Really.”

“It’s on.” They quit holding hands. “On three. One, two, three!” Lance began to run on two and dove in. Keith cursed under his breath and dove in after Lance, gaining on him as they swam farther and farther out into the vast blue.

“You asshole!” Keith called, once he surfaced and Lance laughed briefly before going back under and swimming ahead, maintaining his unfair lead. “You cheater!” They continued to swim, insults being thrown by Keith and Lance only laughing as they swam farther and farther, the sand sloping down and getting farther away from them.

In that moment, it was Lance, Keith, and the sea.

After a bit, Keith bobbed above the water and turned to look around, the shore fairly distant from where he was. Then he turned, calling out to Lance. “Hey! We should turn back!”

“What? Scared?”

“No! We’re just really far away, asshole!” There was a final splash as Lance’s head stayed above the water as he swam back to Keith. He looked in the distance, hair slicked back with saltwater and Keith couldn’t help but staring.

“Oh shit, you’re right.” He turned back and then realized how close they were near one another. As they kicked under the water, their feet touched and Keith yelped as Lance kicked him the leg. “Whoops, sorry!” he grinned.

“You don’t look sorry at all,” commented Keith,  moving his arms about.

“What makes you say that?”

“The look on your face, Lance.”

“What are you going to do about it, Keith?”

“This.” He splashed Lance and the actor sputtered, the smile wiped right off his face.

“How dare you-”

“And this.” Keith swam a little closer and bridged the distance Lance didn’t earlier. He pressed his lips quickly to Lance’s, tasting the salt of the sea briefly before pulling away.

“Oh,” Lance whispered softly.

The motion of the water moving around them thundered in their ears.

“Yeah,” Keith breathed, and then a smile painted his face. “Race you back!” And with that, he took off, leaving Lance behind once more.

But this time, Lance knew he could handle it.

It seemed as though he was catching up.

“You cheater!” Lance called, and he heard Keith laugh from ahead and it Lance’s mind, all was right.

They swam back, Keith beating Lance. He laughed as he began walking on the sand, hair dripping wet, the sound reverberating through his chest. The water ran down his skin and he pushed his hair back, holding onto his sides, laughing harder than ever.

And then it hit him, what he had done.

Keith eased out of laughing and covered his mouth with his hand, his heart pounding in his chest.

He had kissed Lance.

 **Shit**.

He bit at his bottom lip after he slowly removed his hand, hearing someone splash out of the water behind him and that sped his heart rate up even more.

Lance pushed his hair back, took a deep breath, and walked up in front of Keith. “Thanks for leaving me.” He smiled evenly, ducking to get Keith to look at him. Keith met Lance’s eyes quietly after a few seconds and almost melted from the warmth of the blue gaze.

Keith hated this.

He hated the almost.

But…

 _But what?_ echoed in the back of his mind. _What’s holding you back?_

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” he breathed through a sliver of a smile. “No problem.”

They walked back, their stuff surprisingly still there and Lance picked up his towel, doing his best to dry his hair and torso. After he was finished, he slung the towel around his shoulders and looked at his phone. Keith pressed his towel to his face softly and covered his mouth, watching Lance carefully with his eyes.

He was right there.

Then Lance raised his eyebrows, and looked over at Keith, a slight amount of warmth blossoming inside his chest as he realized he had been looking at him. As much as he wanted to think about nothing more, Lance pushed the feeling away enough to speak normally. “Pidge texted me like twenty minutes ago.”

It’s been that long? Keith thought. “What did they say?”

“We’re having a cast dinner tonight, apparently.” He looked back down at his phone. “That sucks. I wanted to relax. After all,” he couldn’t help but look back at Keith, “we only just got here.” Keith didn’t know what to make of that and Lance simply continued. “Well, we’re supposed to meeting in a few hours and that means we should go back to the room.”

“A few hours? Why the rush?” Keith cocked his head, smiling.

“Don’t act like you don’t remember that I take forever to get ready.”

“Ah, yes.” Keith walked forward and let his fingers intertwine with Lance’s. “I remember when you put makeup on me when we went to the beach.”

“Hey, it was necessary that we looked good.”

“You’re ridiculous. I really don’t care about that, remember? You made sure I showered when I first showed up.” They walked back up the beach slowly, the various noise around them lost.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Lance smiled as they walked.

“You didn’t need it, though.” At that, Lance whipped his head to the side, eyes wide and Keith stared back with equally wide eyes. His face was slightly flushed little and in return, Lance’s face split into a smile. “Don’t-” Keith started, knowing only too well where this was headed.

“You think I’m gorgeous,” he began to sing and for Keith, that brought back memories of the night Olivia persuaded them to drink.

“Lance, stop-”

“You want to-” Then Lance stopped praying Keith didn’t know the two words that ended that line. As he looked at him, Keith seemed relieved and Lance’s mind went back to what happened out at sea earlier. His heart fluttered but he also felt a tiny amount of dread began to pool in his stomach.

“Wait, so where is this dinner?” Keith asked as they finally walked in through the sliding doors of their hotel.

“Ah, good question. Dunno.”

“Pidge didn’t say anything?” They stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.

“You know them, a person of very little words.”

“Only because they put up with you every waking day,” Keith teased slightly and then the doors opened to the top floor. “I mean, it’s gotta be rough.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” They made their way down the hall and stopped in front of their suite door. “Let me get the key,” he started, looking down and finally remembering his right hand was still holding onto Keith’s. This, of course, made Keith look down as well in between them and they both just held their breath. Lance breathed in normally and then slowly disentangled his fingers from Keith’s.

The motion was slow and once his fingers were not interwoven with Keith’s, they both felt the lack of touch linger in between the spaces that were filled seconds ago. Lance fished the door key from he’d kept it and the silence was broken by the door being opened.

Lance stepped in first and then Keith followed.

“I’m going to take a shower first,” commented Lance and Keith managed a nod.

Once walls separated them, they both uttered the same thing.

_“Why?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey i updated in less than a month! god bless! also! i aced my women and genders studies midterm! nice!
> 
> yell at me @bluethisisforyou
> 
> thanks <3


	12. even if only for a moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith still was still lying on the floor, brain completely fried, trying to think about what had just happened. Pidge came over and extended their hand. “Come on lover boy, get up. We have a dinner to go to.”
> 
> “Right,” Keith managed and he took Pidge’s hand, too out of it to fight the name Pidge had given him.
> 
> It wasn’t like they were wrong, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would've updated a few days ago but i got sick and i literally passed out several times
> 
> also, we are all pidge at this point
> 
> anyways, here you go!

Keith couldn’t stop thinking.

He just couldn’t stop, even when Lance was listening to music while getting ready.

His mouth still tasted like the sea and he had just finished changing, closing the bathroom door behind him. “Did you use conditioner?” asked Lance, as he popped around the corner. Unprepared, Keith slammed his hand onto the door and started. “Look, it’s not that bad.”

“You scared me.” Keith’s heart pounded inside his chest. Then it sped up as Lance looked at Keith from head-to-toe in a relaxed fashion. “What is it?” He asked as soon as Lance met his eyes again.

“Seems like you can dress yourself.”

“Very funny.” Keith felt slightly at home in a plain white dress shirt and black pants. As he walked past Lance, he noticed Lance in similar attire; that is, except for the fact that he was wearing a black dress shirt and grey pants.

He looked really good.

“I know, right?” Lance smiled upon noticing Keith staring. “Anyways, I’m almost done with my face so I’ll do yours in a few minutes.” Keith made a face at the mention of Lance putting makeup on his face.

“Touch my face and-” Keith shut up as Lance stepped close, his face inches from Keith’s.

“And what?” It wasn’t good for his heart to see Lance’s face this close, the dark blue of his eyes and the smoothness of his skin. _He’s too beautiful for his own good_ , Keith though levelly. “You’ll kiss me?” That’s when Keith’s eyes widened and Lance’s did too, like the words had been accidental.

Either way, Keith felt his skin grow hot to the touch. “N-no, touch my face and I’ll-”

“Stop trying to talk tough and let me do your makeup.” Lance grabbed Keith by the wrist, making sure not to show his face but the warmth of his palm gave him away. Keith wanted to cut it all out, to spill everything and just...just... “Sit down. I’ll be right back.”

Keith found himself right back in the bathroom, doing his best to calm down.

Lance took several deep breaths as he gathered what he needed before heading back.

The sounds of makeup containers hitting the tile was the only thing either of them heard besides their own pounding hearts.

 _Why do you have to be like this?_ they both thought. _Why?_

“Okay, so, it’s just going to be light, very natural. Don’t worry, it’ll look fine,” Lance spoke, careful not to make eye contact in the mirror’s reflection with Keith. “Close your eyes.” At that, Keith let his eyes squeeze shut, feeling the application and thinking too much all the while. “I’m going to need you to stop closing your eyes so tightly.” And that’s when Keith felt Lance’s hand brush his cheek briefly and he wanted nothing more than to nudge his cheek into Lance’s palm.

Instead, he stopped squeezing his eyes so tightly.

And before he knew it, Lance was done. “You can open your eyes now.”

“I don’t see any difference,” Keith blatantly went, studying himself in the mirror.

“Well, that’s the look,” Lance said, as he capped something. “You’re supposed to look like you’re not wearing makeup at all.”

“That’s...dumb.”

“Say what you will, hermoso, but I did a great job.” At the sound of that one Spanish word leaving Lance’s lips, Keith felt his stomach clench- hard. It had been an unnatural amount of time since Lance had used Spanish around Keith. Then, he thought about the last thing he had said to him in Spanish and Keith felt his chest constrict.

Lance calmly put away the makeup and Keith sat there, throat growing raw and he wasn’t in the mood for this.

He watched himself in the mirror as Lance finished cleaning up. “Lance,” he said softly, “what does hermoso mean?” Keith felt himself hold his breath as Lance visibly froze while walking towards the bathroom door. “Lance?”

“No hablo ingles.” Lance flashed Keith a dazzling smile before walking off.

“Lance! I swear to-” Keith yelled after him, getting up to follow him. “Tell me, asshole!”

“No se,” he commented as he took a seat at the kitchen island after pouring himself a drink.

“You know I have the internet, right?” At that, Keith pulled out his phone. Lance nearly choked but continued drinking so he wouldn’t have to talk. “Okay, fine.” He started to type it in when his phone was knocked from his hands and he found himself hitting the floor, head cradled by a hand but back still falling onto the bare floor. “God damnit, La-” Keith shut up as he looked at Lance on top of him, hand still resting under Keith’s head. At that point, he stopped thinking and watched as Lance looked down at him, a gentle focused look in his eyes and that made Keith want to stay there forever.

However, the slight pain in Keith’s back made him want to get out of this situation as fucking quick as possible. Since his train of thought was now guided by momentary mood, Keith slowly reached a hand up and then grabbed the front of Lance’s shirt.

“Uh, Keith, that’s-”

Then Keith yanked, with all intentions of headbutting Lance when the door swung open. “Good to see you two are getting along.”

Lance managed to brace himself inches before meeting Keith’s face and he looked up at Pidge, exposing his neck to Keith, who sucked in a breath. “How the hell did you get in here?!” They looked bored as they examined their nails, wearing a long-sleeve off the shoulder lime green blouse tucked into black pants.

“I have my ways.” They looked down at Keith, watching him look up at Lance, face softening. “A word of advice: maybe wait until night to start that activity.” They pointed and Lance looked down and Keith met his eyes. They both noticed their eyes widening and Lance picked himself up quickly.

“We weren’t going to start at all.”

“Mmhmmm.”

“Pidge.” Lance walked out of the room where it happened, leaving the others.

Keith still was still lying on the floor, brain completely fried, trying to think about what had just happened. Pidge came over and extended their hand. “Come on lover boy, get up. We have a dinner to go to.”

“Right,” Keith managed and he took Pidge’s hand, too out of it to fight the name Pidge had given him.

It wasn’t like they were wrong, after all.

Once Lance and Hunk had joined them, they made their way out into the hall, Pidge knocked on suite number 3 and Allura answered. “Are we leaving now?” she asked, affixing an earring.

She looked beautiful, as usual, and when she finished putting her earring on, she called Shiro to come to the door. “Ready?” She asked, smoothing the lapel of his suit. He smiled at her before kissing her. When he pulled back, he became red upon noticing everyone at the door.

“You’re ridiculous, Shiro,” Pidge observed and Lance laughed. “Now, we just have to get Nyma.”

Everyone followed Pidge to Suite 4 and Keith wondered what this Nyma looked like.

The door opened. “Are we leaving already?” A black dress hugged her figure as she held the door with one hand and an open tube of lipstick in the other. Her blonde hair fell straight around her face as she pressed her lips together in a slightly displeased fashion. “Give me like two minutes.” The door closed and they were all left to wait in the hall.

“In this moment, I think I’ve found someone I hate more than you.” Pidge looked at Lance.

“You just have it out for extremely hot people,” Lance said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“No, not all of them. Just certain ones.”

“Whatever you say. You’re just jealous-” The door opened once more and Nyma appeared in less than two minutes.

“I take back what I said earlier,” said Pidge. “You have your title back.”

“Thanks.” Lance bit hard on that word and Keith watched as this unknown actress shut the door behind her. Her hair swished over her shoulder as she turned to face them, smiling.

“Well, what do you know? I needed less time.” Her rose pink lips curled into a smile and her smile was bright in the dimness of the hall.

“You never needed that time, to be honest. You’re quite pretty,” came from Lance as he stepped towards her, wearing a cocky smile on his face, the one  Keith didn’t like. That made Keith’s stomach curl as Lance placed a kiss on Nyma’s hand and she thanked him. Then, she made eye contact with Keith.

“Lance McClain, I do believe you have a boyfriend.”

That set Lance and Keith on edge.

Lance stood up and turned to face Keith, who didn’t know what expression to wear. He simply stood there as Lance looked at him, this strange expression passingly briefly before he let go of Nyma’s hand and made his way over.

Something told Keith to take a step back once Lance reached him.

But he didn’t.

“Babe, it was just a compliment.” He took Keith’s hand and Keith wanted to die, his skin hot to the touch. “Don’t worry.” Lance brushed some hair behind Keith’s ear and then he leaned in, planting a soft kiss on Keith’s lips. Once he pulled back, he smiled. “Okay?”

Before Keith could respond with anything, Pidge cleared their throat. “Look, I made reservations for a certain time so that means we have to go. Now.” They all headed towards the elevator, Lance pulling Keith along by his hand, neither of them looking at the other.

Keith wanted to spend the car ride over to the restaurant with his face hidden in his hands but he couldn’t. The others would’ve asked him what was wrong and at that point in time, he felt like spilling his whole life story, starting from the mistake of Lance being given his number.

He watched thoughtfully as everyone interacted in the car, especially the way Lance talked with Nyma, their voices the loudest in Keith’s ears. Lance seemed to laugh a lot, mostly as his own stupid jokes, and that made Keith smile a bit as he watched Nyma’s face.

But then he always went back to how Lance had greeted her, that shade of flirtatious that seemed to be more present than ever before; Keith felt something heavy beginning to pool in his stomach as he remembered how Lance had kissed him afterwards.

It was quick but it was firm.

He didn’t have to do that.

Keith felt himself cover his mouth with his hand and move it around the lower half of his face, looking down, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. He looked at people’s feet in the meantime and then someone called out to him.

“Keith, you look nice!” He dropped his hand from his face and looked up, seeing Allura smiling at him.

“Thank you. You too.” He smiled, grateful to be pulled out of the place he was boxing himself into.

“And I did his makeup.” Keith froze as Lance slung his arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. “Looks pretty good, right?” He looked at Keith, smiling, and Keith didn’t know if he felt sick or nervous as his heart sped up inside of his chest.

“You both look so lovely!” Allura clasped her hands together. “You look so good together!” And then she smiled widely. Pidge kept looking at their phone and Hunk kept talking with Shiro.

At that, Lance pressed his fingers briefly into Keith’s arm, and Keith noticed.

“Thanks! You and Shiro look amazing together, too!” He laughed, smile bright, eyes closed and he kept his arm around Keith’s shoulders. Lance turned his head to keep talking to Nyma and something about everything felt very wrong to Keith for the rest of ride.

When they got out of the car, Lance took Keith’s hand.

Keith sucked in a quiet breath, wondering when this situation would be kind and just stop.

Then they got to the doors and the inside glowed ember. A friendly waitress greeted them, leading their party to the back and they had a beautiful view of the sea.

“Gorgeous,” Nyma noted and smiled, pulling out a chair, then sitting down.

“That’s your reflection.” Lance winked while he let go of Keith’s hand.

“Stop,” Nyma smiled.

“Can’t friends give each other compliments?” Keith relaxed a little at that as he sat down with everyone else. “Nyma?”

“I suppose, considering we were more than friends once.” She shrugged easily, blonde hair moving fluidly about her shoulders. Elegant fingers reached for her water glass and Keith did his best not choke on the water he had started drinking while she was speaking.

“It’s only fair.” Lance reached for his drink and Keith swallowed, looking around the table to see everyone else preoccupied with studying the menu for food and drink. Then, Pidge caught Keith’s eye and they simply looked at him before they went back to studying their menu.

He didn’t know what to make of it.

Keith couldn’t help himself. “You two dated?”

“Yeah.” Lance said it simply, as if there was nothing wrong. “It was for a few months.”

“Then we just decided that we both weren’t feeling it anymore. It was mutual.” Nyma smiled assuredly, blonde hair falling forward as she reached for her menu. “It was for the best.”

“It really was.” Lance smiled and for the first time that night, Keith felt relief flood through him. Lance turned to look at him. “We still hang out, though. Once a week, we go to dinner.”

“About that, you missed last week. Why?”

The past week flashed through Keith’s mind and it felt like a train had slammed into his chest.

“Is is because you were busy with your boyfriend? Come on, Lance, I needed someone to bitch to! This past week has just been such a twist and turn of everything going right but also wrong!”

“I understand.” He smiled a thin-lipped smile and Keith wanted to leave. “But I’m here now. Bitch away.”

“Silly, I’m waiting for my wine- then I can complain.”

“You don’t fare well when you drink. Don’t embarrass yourself in this place.”

Then the waiter came and took the orders, collecting the menus and leaving everyone to their conversations around the table. “So, Nyma, it’s been a while? How are things?” This came from Allura and then they were busy talking. Lance watched as she moved to talked with Allura and then he made sure his eyes landed on his glass before him, a hard silence in his eyes.

And once more, Keith didn’t know what to make of anything.

“So, Keith, what did you order?”

And once again, Pidge had saved Keith.

“Well, I got the Chef’s Special.”

“I ordered vodka.” They slammed their menu shut and they smiled

“Pidge.” Keith said this a little disappointedly, a familiar warmth blossoming in his chest as he remembered all the meals they had shared together. “That can’t be healthy.”

“Yeah, you’re never going to get any taller.” Lance looked at Pidge, a smile edging onto his face. “You look like you’re twelve.”

“And you look like an idiot who’s hopelessly fallen in love.”

Keith felt his mouth go slack a little bit as Lance froze and Pidge calmly sipped their water.

“Well, that’s-that’s-”

“You’re never going to beat that,” Pidge answered as they set their glass down. “Never.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“It’s not like it’s a secret. You two are dating.” Keith didn’t know where Pidge was going with this.

“Yes, we are. Do you have a problem?”

“No.” Their face was so straight it could’ve given the straightest line in the world a run for its money. “None at all.”

Something about sitting at that dinner table suddenly made Keith exhausted.

He didn’t want to be there anymore.

Lance scoffed and then the servers arrived, placing the food in front of everyone. “Hope you all enjoy!” exclaimed the waitress before she walked away.

“Looks good,” noted Shiro and at that point, Nyma returned to her seat, in all her blonde beauty. Everyone began to dig in and Keith was busy deciding if he was still hungry or if he wasn’t. He clenched his cloth napkin in his lap, loosening his grip after a minute, deciding to eat in order to not be asked if he was okay.

Keith begin to cut into his fish, praying he could last into the night.

The sun was beginning to set.

“So, Lance, how have things been?” Nyma smiled sweetly, her voice in no way suggesting that she held any grudges towards Lance McClain.

Keith didn’t know what to make of her.

“They’ve been great.” He smiled and did his best not to leave any pauses between his words. Lance turned to look at Keith and he smiled simply. “Great.”

“You guys, I’m curious. You said that you’ve been dating for several months, correct?”

“Yeah. But it’s been pretty low-key. Keith is going to college and-” Keith couldn’t help but notice as Nyma’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of college, only to go back to normal once Lance had looked back at her. “It wasn’t meant to be a huge deal.”

“Mmmm, yeah, it just seems like it was super low-key, is all I’m saying. I mean, how did you only get discovered a few weeks ago?” She picked up her glass, taking a sip of her champagne. “After all, we got discovered the day after.”

“That’s because we’re both famous. The paparazzi tend to have more affliction towards those in the business being together than one celebrity and their partner who isn’t.” Lance began to cut into his food as he spoke with her.

Keith concentrated on cutting his own food so that he wouldn’t have to look at either of them.

“That’s true, but, there’s something about the two of you that seems so…”

“So what?” Lance asked, casualness dripping from the way he said it.

“So-”

“Can you pass me the salt?” Keith looked up to see Pidge looking at Nyma. She looked back at them, pressing her lips together in a thin line, noticing only the vodka in front of them.

“You only have-”

“Can you pass me the salt?” Pidge calmly repeated and Keith felt like he could breathe again, even if only slightly. “My end of the table doesn’t have you so we need the salt shaker over here.” Then Pidge smiled and Lance choked on his food. Keith felt a smile tug on his lips as Nyma gingerly passed the salt.

“You little shit, acting just as I remembered you.” Nyma laughed but she clearly still looked bitter about the whole exchange. Lance regained himself and Keith lost the smile as she turned back to look at the two of them. “Now, what was I going to say?”

“Don’t remember,” Lance said. “By the way, how was France?”

Her eyes lit up and she was gone.

Keith felt his chest loosen immensely and even more so as Lance reached for his hand, holding onto it under the table.

“-and everyone is dressed so gorgeously! The fashion is incredible and the food tasted like it’s too good for this world. I’m thinking about going back for Christmas. Do you want to come with?”

“Maybe. We’ll have to see what the future holds, though.” At that, Lance gently squeezed Keith’s hand and Keith felt his heart flutter wildly.

“Come on, make time for your good friend, Lance!”

“Maybe not going to France but something else.”

“Oh, like something more low-key?” And it was like she had never been pulled away from the topic of questioning the relationship between Lance and Keith. “Like I’d forget. I’m not that stupid.”

“Oh, I know you aren’t.” Lance smiled and gripped Keith’s hand a little harder.

“I just want to make sure this is genuine. Like, there’s no ulterior motive on Keith’s part, because, I mean, you have money. It’s just me being worried on your part-”

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing like that.”

“Alright, just wanted to make sure.” Then she smiled as she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

At that, Lance tugged on Keith’s hand and stood up, addressing the table. “We’re going to go get some fresh air.” Keith’s eyes widened slightly as he stood up and was pulled along by Lance, past others eating their dinner more happily than they had been.

They got past the front door and the night air was warm, temperate. The sliver of the moon sat high in the sky, hidden partially by dark grey clouds that moved above them as they walked for a bit before Lance stopped, letting go of Keith’s hand.

Lance spoke calmly. “I’m sorry.”

“Lance, you shouldn’t be apologizing.”

“No, look.” He ran a hand through his hair as he sat down on a bench outside by the parking lot. “Nyma...she means well. There’s no bad blood between us. She and I...have known each other since college. We took theatre together.”

“Oh,” Keith said softly.

“We became really good friends. We still are, despite the fact we broke up years ago. We rose into the industry together, so we had a genuine bond from the start. Even if it seems like she’s bitter, she really does care for me. She’s looking out for me.

“I’ve dated several people after her and one had an ulterior motive and since Nyma found out, well, she wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“What, someone shattering your heart like I did?” Keith said as he felt his voice began to hitch.

“Keith, no-”

“Ah, shit, sorry. It’s just been...it’s been a week.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Lance spoke and Keith didn’t dare look at him. He bit down on his tongue to keep from crying in front of Lance because he didn’t deserve to. “We’ll be fine. She’ll warm up to you.”

“You make it sound like we’re actually together.”

“Well, I kind of have to. That’s the whole reason this started.”

Keith laughed slightly. “I feel like I’m dealing with your mom here.”

“That’s completely inaccurate. Mama would accept you like that.” Lance snapped his fingers. “After all, I’m sure Olivia went back home and raved about you. Which, she should have, because-”

“Because why?” Keith couldn’t help it.

He just couldn’t.

“Have you seen yourself?” Lance looked directly at him. “Have you ever heard yourself talk? Have you ever heard yourself laugh or seen yourself smile?” Then Lance stood and Keith regretted opening his mouth.

But at the same time, he didn’t regret asking what he did.

“Do you know what it’s like to be me, looking at you and knowing that you are rightfully in a relationship with someone else? Do you know what it’s like being me, looking at you, knowing that you make me feel everything at once when I see you?”

“Lance, _please_ , stop-”

“You asked, didn’t you?” And then Lance stopped in front of Keith, a smile so heartbroken painted on his face. “You asked.”

“I shouldn’t have. But I have this habit of asking things I shouldn’t, pushing things too far,” Keith whispered, trying not to cry and make this about him.

“You do, don’t you?” Then Lance caressed one side of Keith’s face before dropping it and looking off somewhere else. “We should head back in. I’m sure Nyma’s wondering where we are.”

Keith looked away, feeling tears well up in his eyes. “I’m sure she is.”

In the distance, the sound of the navy blue ocean filled the silence between them as Keith prepared himself to look okay before they entered the restaurant once more. He avoided eye contact with Nyma as she called out to the both of them as they approached the table. “So, where have you-”

“The check’s been paid. We can go now,” Pidge promptly informed them and Keith felt like jumping over the table and giving them a hug. At that, Shiro and Allura stood up and Hunk did too, eyeing Lance with concern as Lance simply smiled back at his friend. Pidge pushed past Nyma and started the walk back to the car by being the first to walk away from the table.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” claimed Allura, as she looked at the sky above her once they were all outside.

“It really is. But not as beautiful as you.” Shiro pressed a kiss to Allura’s cheek.

“You-”

“No more PDA, please, I’m begging you.” Pidge sounded incredibly done and Keith couldn’t blame them. “Everyone into the car.”

The ride back seemed fine but the underlying tension showed through, despite Shiro and Allura’s obliviousness and Hunk’s attempt at keeping things relatively cheerful. Pidge simply looked at their phone as Nyma chatted with Lance.

All Keith could do was look down at his hands.

When the car pulled back into the parking lot of the hotel, Keith felt himself relax a little and when they were all back in their respective rooms, he tensed up again.

After all, he was sharing a room with Lance.

Once Lance closed the door behind them, he went, “Don’t worry. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Alright.” It didn’t seem like the time or place to fight it and Keith simply just didn’t have the energy to say anything.

“I’ll go use the bathroom first and get changed.” He left Keith alone and it didn’t feel okay anymore.

“What have I done?” Keith asked himself, over and over, until Lance exited the bathroom. “What have I done?”

“I’m done. Goodnight.”

“Night,” Keith managed softly as Lance closed the door to the bedroom and went out to the couch. “Fuck,” he sighed, finally burying his face into his hands like he’d wanted to for the past several hours but couldn’t. “Fuck.”

After a few minutes of sitting on the bed, he stood up and proceeded to go into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He let his fingertips linger on the doorknob before letting them fall back to his side as he slowly looked around the bathroom, finding a t-shirt and sweats for him to change into.

“Oh,” was all he could say, upon remembering the fact that he was going to be sharing clothes with Lance for as long as the filming of the movie called for. “Oh shit.” He sucked in a breath, propping himself up by placing a hand on the counter surrounding the bathroom sink.

He smiled breathily, and after a minute, he took a deep breath.

Silently, he changed out of the clothes he was wearing and slowly into the new ones.

After he was done putting on the sweats, he stood back in front of the mirror and looked down at the floor as he brought his wrist up to his mouth. He bit down on the hair-tie around his wrist and pulled it over his hand and held it in his teeth as he gathered his hair into a pony.

He did his best to breathe evenly as he put his hair up.

Once he had his hair secured in a ponytail, he proceeded to put toothpaste on his toothbrush.

As he brushed his teeth, he watched his reflection in the mirror carefully.

He saw himself, the tiredness of everything beginning to etch into his face.

Keith brushed slowly, tasting the thickness of the mint beginning to build inside of his mouth.

Then his mind went back to the dinner and Nyma.

_‘That’s true, but, there’s something about the two of you that seems so…’_

Her voice was loud and clear in the back of his mind and he removed the toothbrush from his mouth, accidentally biting down on his tongue and then proceeded to swallow the toothpaste in his mouth.

“Fuck,” he spat, clutching at his throat with one hand. “Son of a bitch!”

He dropped his toothbrush in the sink and spit out what he could, turning on the water. Keith cupped some of the running water and used it to clean his lower face, coughing as he turned the water off. He moved his hand around, blindly searching for a towel and once he did, he grabbed on it.

He dried furiously as he stood up, both hands pressing the towel to his face and he opened his eyes.

He saw himself in the mirror, an utter mess.

_‘Have you seen yourself?’_

Keith felt his chest constrict.

_‘Have you ever heard yourself talk?’_

Keith couldn’t do this.

_‘Have you ever heard yourself laugh or seen yourself smile?’_

Not now.

_‘Do you know what it’s like to be me, looking at you and knowing that you are rightfully in a relationship with someone else?’_

Especially not now.

_‘Do you know what it’s like being me, looking at you, knowing that you make me feel everything at once when I see you?'_

He felt his throat go dry as the scene finished replaying itself through his head without his approval. Keith dropped the towel onto the counter and rubbed his face with his hands, the tears being wiped away roughly as he turned off the lights before exiting the bathroom.

“I messed up.” Keith sat down on the edge of the bed. “I-”

The tears were warm rolling down his cheeks.

Once he managed to stop the tears from spilling uncontrollably, he thought about everything he was up against.

Everyone he had lied to and was lying to, especially Lance, the most important person to him.

“I can’t do this,” Keith muttered, wiping underneath his eyes.

It was too much for one person.

He sat there on the bed, thinking about how to handle this.

Once he realized just who he could talk to, he reached for his phone.

Ryan picked up on the third ring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before you get mad, please know i'm updating on 12/15
> 
> yell @ me on tumblr @ bluethisisforyou
> 
> see you soon!


	13. but the amazing thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Flattery will get you nowhere, mister.” Nyma had her glass in her hand and moved it in Keith’s direction.
> 
> “But I mean it.” Keith set down his utensils. “You remind me of how Lance is when he talks about the sea.” Keith’s smile softened as he reached for his own glass.
> 
> “I see it in your face, you know, this little glimmer that maybe I can trust you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this chapter is like super fragmented but it's nice and calm
> 
> we all deserve this tbh
> 
> yall were kicking ass during finals while i was updating over here
> 
> anyhow, i hope you enjoy this because i certainly loved writing it

“Hello?”

As much as Keith felt his stomach plunge from hearing his voice, he desperately needed to get in touch with something old, something familiar.

“Hi.”

“Oh, Keith, I-”

“Did you cheat on me?”

“No.”

“Then I need you to do me a favor if you love me like you say you still do.”

“Anything.”

“Just listen to me. I’m,” Keith clenched his teeth together, “so lost. I’m lost and you’re the only one I can turn to.”

“Are they treating you badly? Is Lance treating you b-”

“God, no!” Keith startled at his own defense of the man he was in love with. “No,” he added more gently, “it’s just, well, everything’s a mess.” He paused. “I’m a mess.”

“Babe, look, you can always come home-”

“But that’s just the thing. I think home has changed for me.” Keith waited, no longer afraid of the silence. “It hasn’t been the same since I’ve gotten into this whole situation.”

“Well, that’s how things go sometimes, you know?” Ryan blew breath out of his mouth. “But I want you to give me a chance.”

“Wait, what-”

“It was only recently that you came to understand that I didn’t cheat on you. I never would. I want you to know that I’m here for you if you need me. But if I keep getting calls like this, ones where you feel like a mess while you’re there, then,” Ryan’s voice grew a tiny bit softer, “I’d suggest that you come back.”

“Ryan-”

“You are an amazing person and I want you to know that you don’t deserve to feel what you’re feeling.”

“You don’t get it. How I’m feeling?” Keith laughed slightly. “It’s my fault.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Ryan spoke as if it was the easiest thing to do. “Look, I have to get ready for a dinner party but please, feel free to call me whenever. I am your boyfriend after all.”

“Yeah.” The word tasted dry in Keith’s mouth.

“I love you.”

Keith felt his phone slip from his fingers because all he could hear was Lance saying it.

All he could hear was that night.

“Keith?”

He looked down at his phone, still connected to Ryan.

“Keith?”

It took him a second before he could get his finger to end the call.

When he did, he let out a shaky breath.

He didn’t end up sleeping that night; he simply rested on his side and thought about everything that had led him up to this point. Keith let his fingertips brush against the undisturbed sheets until he lost count, listening intently to his breathing as he did so.

The next day passed, uneventfully, everyone tired from the day before that knew what was happening.

They decided to relax, Pidge content with lying in bed and not being disturbed and Hunk heading down to the beach to read in peace and quiet.

Lance woke up, remembered where he was, and his heart thrummed inside of his chest.

He sat on the couch, spare blanket askew, a heavy weight on his shoulders. Once he took a deep breath, he checked his phone and realized it was ten in the morning. Lance bit the inside of his cheek and then prepared himself to stand.

He had to apologize.

But even after knocking, Lance received no answer from Keith.

The silence let every worst-case scenario flood Lance’s body.

After sucking in a quick breath, Lance opened the door.

Keith was still fast asleep.

Lance shut the door so he could breathe again.

The day passed quicker than expected as Lance sat on the couch, watching his reflection in the blank tv screen. It had only hit him that the daylight was descending into sunset lighting, hued pinks heavy in the sky as he blinked upon hearing the door to the bedroom open.

“What time is it?” Keith yawned, stretching, and Lance wished everything was different.

“It’s like 6:00.”

“Shut up, no it’s not.” Lance watched as Keith made eye contact with him, disbelief written all over his face.

It was cute.

He watched as Keith padded over to the windows to look out and see for himself that the blue was gone, the pink reigning amongst the clouds. A small smile found its way onto his lips and it stayed there as Keith turned back around, hair sticking out wildly around his neck.

When he saw Lance smiling at him, Keith almost froze. “What?”

“It’s nothing.” Lance shook his head, smile still lingering on his face as he cast his eyes down towards the floor.

“Lance.” Keith walked over unexpectedly, slightly surprised that his body naturally gravitated in Lance’s direction.

Once he started, he just couldn’t find himself stopping.

Lance’s smile slipped from his lips like a startled deer as he look up, seeing Keith right in front of him.

“What is it?” Keith repeated.

Lance knew he had something to say but he was having trouble remembering.

“Why are you looking at me like that?!” Keith smiled for a second, incredulous, then waved his hand in front of Lance’s face. After he did that, he pushed his hair back from his face. “Maybe this is a dream.” Then he began to walk away.

Then the words came back to Lance.

“Keith, I’m sorry for...for last night.”

At that, Keith paused, not daring to turn around.

He only listened.

“I...I made things harder than they needed to be.” Lance pressed his fingers into the couch. “On top of Nyma and I just...I’m sorry.” He paused. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s...it’s okay.” Then Keith turned around and came back. “It’s okay.”

“There’s no w-” A growling noise interrupted them. Lance cocked his head to the side, a smile beginning to spread. “Someone’s hungry, aren’t they?”

Keith covered his stomach with his hand. “Well, I didn’t eat the two meals I was supposed to.”

“I’ll make you something! It’s close to dinner, anyway, and-”

“Lance, please, we both know you can’t cook for shit.”

“Says you.”

“I can get Pidge in here.” Keith’s smile grew on his face as the banter came back from what seemed like so long ago.

“Wake them at your own risk.”

“Actually, if I recall earlier from yesterday,” Keith tapped his chin thoughtfully, “yours truly won that swimming race.” He smiled. “Remind me what the winner received?”

“Mmmm, no.”

“Well, the winner was supposed to get the loser to do whatever they wanted. Lance.”

“Keith.” Lance said evenly, eyes widening as Keith sat next to him on the couch. “What-”

“Go wake them up.”

“If I refuse?”

Keith hadn’t thought this far.

Lance begin to smile, noticing the clear gap in Keith’s plan. “Well, well, well-”

“How about an incentive?” Keith felt himself digging the hole that was this relationship deeper and deeper every time he opened his mouth. “What do you say?”

Lance turned his head, aiming to speak when Keith shut him up by kissing him quickly.

“There.” He sat back. “Go get them.”

Lance didn’t break eye contact as he got up and left.

Once he closed the door, Keith felt the insane urge to laugh, so he did. He even felt tears come to his eyes as the door swung open several minutes later, Pidge gathered in a hotel blanket with Lance following them, eyeing Pidge with distaste as they walked before him into the suite.

“This had better be important.” Pidge sat on a chair around the kitchen island.

“Yeah, it had better.” Lance looked at Keith toughly, unable to look that way for very long, slipping into a small smile as he looked at him, internally wondering what the hell was wrong with them.

“Did you bring me here to tell me when the wedding is?”

Keith and Lance froze, whipping their heads to look at Pidge.

They sat in there, wrapped in their blanket, straight-faced. “Am I wrong?”

“Yes!” came from both Keith and Lance.

“Then what is it?”

“Lance says he can cook. Do you believe that?” Keith blurted out.

“Hey!”

“Keith, I have lived with that man for several years and have witnessed him set off the fire alarm too many times.” Pidge pulled their blanket close to their small frame, looking like a small old woman who’d gone through too much shit. “He. Can. Not. Cook.” Then they smiled. “You should know.”

“Oh, I know, I just needed back up.”

“That’s biased! We need-we need-” Lance snapped his fingers, smile brightening, before running off. He came back with Hunk. “Buddy, we need an unbiased opinion. Can I cook?”

“No.”

“Hunk!” Lance fell to his knees dramatically. “I believed in you.”

“Lance, we both know it’s the truth.”

“There you have it.” Pidge hopped off of their seat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find the nearest place that serves alcohol.”

“Hey, wait. Keith and I were going to go grab a bite to eat,” Lance spoke and Keith looked a little taken aback. “You guys should come along! Get a break from being inside and from everyone else.”

“Sounds good!” Hunk smiled. “Pidge?”

“As long as I’m not paying, let’s go.”

Everyone agreed to meet in fifteen minutes so that they had time to change.

Pidge marched out the door, blanket trailing behind them like how a child would carry it and Keith couldn’t help but smile as they walked out, followed by Hunk.

“So,” Lance started once the door closed, “makeup?”

“Don’t touch me.” Keith walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He rifled through the closet and he found a pair of jeans and a shirt. When he was halfway through changing, Lance walked in. “Lance!”

“Don’t act so embarrassed. I’ve seen you like this before.” Then he winked.

Keith narrowed his eyes, not breaking eye contact, as he picked up his clothes and relocated to the bathroom.

After ten minutes, he exited and found Lance on his phone. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

It was nice getting to leave the hotel.

People were walking about, talking and smiling, laughing every so often under the pinkening of the sky.

The four of them didn’t know where they were going and that was okay.

“It’s like an adventure!” Lance exclaimed.

“I refuse to walk another step unless we have an actual destination.” Pidge planted themself on a bench. “We’ve been walking around for twenty minutes now and if you want to pull this romantic bullshit with Keith, then do it on your time because-”

“Pidge, calm down. Cut it.” Lance spoke and Keith, at that moment, could play into Pidge’s frustrations from being an observer to the whole  thing. It was no longer subtle and it was likely to last for a while. “I’ll find something. Relax.” He pulled out his phone, studied it for a few minutes, then smiled. “Got it.”

“This had better be good.”

“Trust me, you’re gonna like it.”

Once they made it to the restaurant and secured a table, Pidge nodded, almost crying as they saw the large wall of liquor behind the bartender. They turned to Lance. “You’re an okay guy.”

Keith stifled a laugh at that as Lance gave Pidge a look. “You just now realized that?”

“Well, see, I’ve had my doubts for a while-” Pidge started as they cracked open the drink menu.

“Pidge, you know you love him.” Hunk opened his menu.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever disclosed that to you.”

“Pidge.”

“Now, what’s the most expensive drink they have?” Lance’s friends looked at their menus and Keith looked around, everything feeling okay. He looked around until he caught Lance’s eye, quick and easy as if it was always a given.

“This is nice.”

“Yeah.” Lance smiled, looking down at his menu. “Feels like home.”

Keith couldn’t shake that response from his mind as the dinner proceeded, antics like they had been back at Lance’s house. He watched as Pidge made scathing comments while sipping their alcohol, being reprimanded by Hunk and whined at by Lance.

His sides hurt after the main course came, simply because the three of them had made Keith laugh so hard.

“At least this one appreciates my humor.” Pidge smiled, raising their half-full glass. “To Keith.”

“He wouldn’t think it was funny if he was the one being attacked constantly,” Lance muttered.

“Shut up and toast to your boyfriend.”

“Pidge, I swear-”

“Raise your glass, sea star.”

“How did you- Hunk?”

“Sorry.” Keith laughed at Hunk’s apology and he hid his face in his hands.

“God, I wish you weren’t so cute when you laughed.” Lance proceeded to pick up his glass and then caught everyone looking at him. “What?” Pidge only smiled as Hunk excused himself to go the restroom. “Why are they looking at me-” He turned to look at Keith, who stared at him wide-eyed. “What did I say?”

“You said that you wished Keith wasn’t so cute when he laughed.”

“No I didn’t I thought that…” Lance trailed off, his face starting to grow hot. “I didn’t say that.”

Pidge smiled after taking a drink. “Oh yes you did.”

Lance called for the check and once Hunk came back, they all left.

“Hoo boy, is he in deep.” Pidge said to Hunk as they walked behind a silent Lance and Keith down the sidewalk. “I’m talking balls-deep-”

“Pidge, please, just five minutes of quiet.” Hunk noted as Pidge only laughed.

“For you, anything.”

Keith felt butterflies plague his stomach the whole way back to the hotel.

He could hear Pidge and he bet anything Lance heard them too.

“Night, you two,” Pidge practically sang as they went to their suite with Hunk.

Lance groaned as he rubbed his face with one hand. “The audacity of that-”

“It is your fault, you know.” The door shut after Keith spoke. “You did say that.”

“I-I-You, listen-” Lance began pointing at Keith as he made his way to the bedroom.

“Just saying.” A simple smile and he was gone.

It was all so simple.

The next day proved a tiny bit trickier.

Nyma wanted to get in some quality time with Keith before the first round of shooting started the day after. “You know, to ‘apologize’ for what I did. At least, that’s what Pidge said.”

Lance raised an eyebrow at that, standing in the doorway.

“Anyways, I was thinking we could go out for like a couple hours. What do you say?”

“Let me ask him.”

Upon hearing that, Keith felt his stomach drop. “Do you-Do you think it’s a good idea?”

“I mean, it’d be nice if she could get to know you and then she wouldn’t be so-”

“Distrustful?”

“Basically.”

Keith took a deep breath. “Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll go tell her.” Then, to Keith’s surprise, Lance came closer and pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek. “You don’t have to do this. You’re doing so much more than was ever asked of you.” He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Thirty minutes later, Keith found himself in a really nice restaurant.

“-and I’ll have this as well. Thank you.” Nyma smiled and the waiter left with the menu. She turned to Keith, hair swept in a high pony, soft and liquid-like as it moved about. “So, about Lance.”

“What about him?” Keith did his best to act like he wasn’t mostly terrified.

“He’s my best friend.” Her pale blue eyes were unwavering, solid like ice. “I love him.”

Keith opened his mouth to speak when she continued. “We’ve been through alot together. He’s helped me with shit and so I like to take it upon myself that he finds someone deserving of his affections.” Then she smiled. “Sorry if I came on too strong a couple nights ago.” She laughed a little. “It’s just that the rules of dating we have are much different than people who aren’t like us.”

“Okay, then.” Keith flashed her a smile. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Anything. Now, tell me, what do you like about Lance?”

“Well, there’s...I like his smiles, all the types he has, except for that strange flirtatious one. I like that he has a sense of humor. Oh, and he’s great with kids. Olivia stopped by a while ago and it was the most incredible sight.

“He’s also very talented; it’s so much fun to get to hear him sing and he surfs like it’s nobody’s goddamn business. Lance McClain is like...is like a dream come true.” Keith paused, feeling his chest, a warmth blossoming easily as if talking about why he liked Lance was so...so natural.

“That’s so cute. While I believe you, it’s gonna take a little longer for me to assess you.”

“That’s...fine.”

The waiter came back and set their food before them.

“So, Lance said you were in college.”

“Yeah, art major.” Keith started cutting into his food. “So, Lance said you did theatre with him in college?”

Like that, Nyma forgot her food and started reminiscing for a while.

When she finished, she had a genuine spark in her eye.

“You’re really cute when you speak passionately.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, mister.” Nyma had her glass in her hand and moved it in Keith’s direction.

“But I mean it.” Keith set down his utensils. “You remind me of how Lance is when he talks about the sea.” Keith’s smile softened as he reached for his own glass.

“I see it in your face, you know, this little glimmer that maybe I can trust you.”

“Oh, really?” Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but, it’s like small.” She held up her other hand, leaving a pea-sized space between her pointer finger and thumb. “Tiny.”

“At least it’s something.”

Then she smiled. “Think of that while I give you hell.”

Both of them left the restaurant, feeling a little bit better.

A little bit, however, was a start.

It was a good one.

The first day of shooting followed and Keith realized that he had been in the presence of amazing actors all along without ever truly witnessing it. He watched from the sidelines as the crew filmed the interaction between Lance’s character and Shiro’s.

It took a vast amount of takes, purely because Lance would occasionally forget a line.

It ended up being pretty entertaining.

“Look, you can’t marry her because I’m feeling like you’ve forgotten about me here. You’re like my brother and I can’t bear to be cast aside like this! You’re my brother bear, brother, bro, fuck-”

Shiro hid his laughter in his hand as Lance was brought the script by an unenthusiastic Pidge.

Keith watched the scene, smiling all the while.

“Mind if I sit next to you?” He looked up to find a familiar orange head of hair.

“Coran! Yes, please.”

“Fantastic! Allura’s out right now with Nyma because they needed to get out, apparently.”

“Is that so?” Keith mused, his eyes on Lance. “Funny because-”

“Everyone! Quiet please!” requested the director. “Okay, ready?”

Shiro nodded and Lance smiled, giving a thumbs up.

 _God, he’s so cute_ , Keith thought, pleased that he had managed to keep that to himself.

“One, two, three and, action!”

After that, the days just flew by.

A few days later, that’s when Keith realized the relationship between Lance and Nyma’s characters.

“So, basically, you two hate each other.” Keith sat on the bathroom counter, toothbrush in his mouth as Lance brushed his teeth next him.

“Yep.”

“And you both play immature pranks until you realize that you like each other?”

“You got it.”

“That’s so...straight.”

“Oh please, it works for every type of relationship.” Lance spit into the sink and Keith acknowledged his statement by nodding. “It’s just big in the straight market.”

“God, imagine being straight.” Keith finished brushing his teeth and he spit into the sink. “Wild.”

“I’m with you on that one. Couldn’t imagine not being attracted to men.”

“Yeah?” Keith looked down at his dangling feet.

His heart stopped when Lance pressed his forehead to his.

“Yeah.”

It was a momentary thing, fleeting, as Lance walked out. “Good night.”

“Night.”

Keith felt his forehead, burning underneath his fingertips.

He swallowed.

The change in scenery kept affecting everyone.

More days passed and Keith got to witness Allura in action, stunningly natural at what she did.

“She’s been acting since she was six.”

Coran took to sitting next to Keith most days.

“Oh, really?” He watched her as she acted alongside Nyma, who was equally skilled.

“She has always been a truthful little thing and her father, Alfor, could see through her lies in a second. Allura had enough one day and she asked her father to teach her how to lie. It was the funniest thing. So, he decided to put her into acting lessons.”

“That’s incredible.” Keith smiled.

“That girl still can’t tell a lie to save her life, I’m afraid.” Coran laughed, mustache moving about.

“That’s so funny.” Keith felt his smile grow even more as he watched Coran before turning back to see the scene being acted over and over before him.

Every once in awhile, Nyma would turn and make a face at him.

Keith only waved back, still smiling.

She only smiled once, something she couldn’t help, then went back to quote-unquote “giving him hell”.

This usually involved pulling Lance away whenever, whisking him off when he came over to talk to Keith. He would smile apologetically and at that point, Keith didn’t feel like he was afraid of Nyma. Sure, she was tough but she seemed to trust Keith more than she liked to let on.

“So?”

It had been a couple weeks and Lance asked this while on his weekly dinner with Nyma.

“What?” She asked, glass in hand.

“What do you think?”

“About?”

“Keith.” The flame on the candle between them flickered.

“I can’t say that I approve of him.”

“Nyma.”

“At least, not fully.” She took a sip of her drink and then smiled. “Not yet.”

“That makes me happy to hear.”

“Glad to say it, I guess.”

They shared a laugh as the city moved about outside, a still of twinkling lights.

Clouds were soft in the night sky as they moved to reveal glittering stars.

Keith sat on the balcony, drink in hand, alone.

It was nice to be alone.

The night air blew gently around his loose hair as he took a deep breath.

It hit him one night, as he sat in a chair, watching the crew film the scene with the bonfire.

The embers floated into the sky and then disappeared, as if afraid to compete with the way the stars shone above. There was laughter as Lance and Nyma giggled over the fact that Nyma had messed up, their joy apparent through the heat of the vivid orange flames.

Wood crackled and Keith realized that they had been there for a month.

“Oh,” he managed softly, pulling the blanket closer to him.

Everything was happening so fast.

In his joy of being there for the filming and being there as Lance’s fake boyfriend, an insurmountable heaviness welled inside of him. It was unexplainable.

A sort of dawning that sadness existed still.

When he got back that night, he held it together.

There was still the strange ritual of some type of affection between him and Lance before they parted ways for the night. Keith sucked in a breath as he let the weight of everything happening so fast crash into him unapologetically.

It hurt.

“Why are you like this?” Keith muttered in the heel of his hand before using it to wipe away any remaining tears that lingered in his eyes. “Why are you-”

His phone rang and he picked up.

“Hey, you haven’t called for like a week. How are you?”

“Great.” Keith heard the brokenness of his voice after he spoke. Shit.

“You don’t sound like you’re okay.”

“No, I am, just dehydrated.”

“Right, well, make sure you’re drinking fluids.” Keith could hear the doubt in Ryan’s voice.

“Sure thing. So, how have you been?”

They talked longer than Keith had expected to, simply because he started talking mostly, his mood shifting as he talked about watching the filmmaking process in action. He talked about everyone with a smile on his face, bringing up Lance the most without thinking about it.

“It’s just all so amazing.” Keith paused, smiling. “They’re all so amazing.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re having a good time.”

“Yeah.”

“How much longer is the shooting going to take, you think?”

“I’m not sure-”

“I miss you, you know?”

“I miss you too.”

“Come back soon.” There was a noticeable pause. “Love you.”

Then he hung up.

Keith let his phone fall next to him as he fell backwards onto the bed.

Love.

What a tricky word.

Another week passed, filming going fairly smoothly until it had to be pushed back a bit due to Shiro not being able to properly film the scripted romantic scene between him and Allura.

“Shiro, you’re dating her. What’s the problem-”

“I want to propose to her.” He smiled and Lance felt his eyes widen.

“Shiro, that’s-”

“And none of the days we’ve filmed this scene have been good enough, you know? Doesn’t feel like it’ll ever be good enough. Never the right moment, you know?”

“You’re such a pessimist.” The two of them jumped as Pidge joined them. “Seriously, why are you like this?” Keith entered the group, coming from behind Pidge.

“What’s going on?”

“This bonehead’s gonna pr-” Shiro slapped a hand over Pidge’s mouth.

“Not here.”

Dinner seemed like a good place for everyone to meet lately.

That is, everyone except Allura and Nyma, who, after having been told everything, promised to keep Allura out with her for the night. “I’m not doing this out of the love of my heart, either. I expect payment.”

“She’s bluffing. The girl’s got more love than she claims she does.” Lance said, once everyone was at dinner.

“Shiro, this is huge.” Hunk smiled. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thanks, I-”

“You two are honestly the power couple. Hunk’s right- this is going to be huge.” Lance tilted his glass in Shiro’s direction.

“You two-”

“It’s very sweet,” Keith added, smiling.

“Okay, we get it. Shiro, why did you bring us all out to dinner?” Pidge prompted, looking Shiro in the eye. “Don’t you have something you want to say? To someone in particular?” They let their eyes flit to Coran, who was busy scanning the menu. “Shiro?”

He cleared his throat. “Coran.”

“Yes, my boy?”

“I have something I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“I wanted to ask you for your permission to marry Allura.” He paused. “You see, you’re like her father and, well-”

“Shiro, you’re a good man.” Coran stood up and then hugged Shiro.

The two of them were a mess after Coran said yes.

“You’d think Shiro just asked Coran to marry him,” Pidge commented.

“As much as I disagree with you, I’d have to say you’re kind of right,” Lance responded.

“I’m always right.”

“Debatable.”

Keith smiled and the night ensued.

A day of filming passed, then another.

“What’s going on with him?”

“Allura, honey, don’t worry.” Nyma poured her a drink.

“He’s never been this...this...bad at acting.”

“Believe me, there’s a good reason.” Nyma smiled knowingly.

“Why do you say that?” Allura pulled her knees close to her chest.

“Well, having faith always has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

They spent the night together, indulging in the gold in their glasses.

Then, one day, everyone knew what was going to happen.

That is, everyone except Allura.

The actors and crew smiled knowingly, hiding their happiness as everything was being set up.

“Okay, everyone, take your places!”

Keith sat in his chair, making eye contact with Lance as he stood around on the scene, and he smiled knowingly back. “Alright, let’s get this scene right, people!” The director did her best not to smile. “One, two, three and, action!”

Shiro felt his heart speed up in his chest a little as Allura recited her lines with ease.

“It’s been a ride, what, being with those two.” Shiro chuckled and it went smoothly from there.

“I just hope they can get it together in time for the wedding or else I might have to step in.”

“That might be a good idea, seeing as they are practically at each other’s throats.”

“It’s just, well, they feel neglected is all.” Allura smiled and stepped closer. “They aren’t lucky like we are.”

“Well, to be honest,” Shiro dropped down on one knee, fishing a box out of his pocket, “I think it’s more than luck because-”

“What we know is love.” Allura finished, dropping to one knee as well, smiling. “Well, well, well, what a coincidence.” Shiro’s eyes were wide as Allura presented Shiro with a ring and so were everyone else’s.

That is, except for Nyma.

“Allura, I-”

“Shiro, looks like we had the same idea.” Allura reached out and caressed the side of Shiro’s face. “To be honest, my intention was to wait until the scene was completely finished but you,” she patted his face, “you kept making it difficult.

“But since you finally did it, I’m going to ask you now.”

“Only if I get to ask you.” Shiro smiled warmly.

“Oh, alright.”

Their answers were the same.

Everyone applauded, some crying, especially Coran.

Keith patted him, smiling all the same.

They were going to get married.

He watched them interact, the warmth between them the same, visible and perfect.

It was beautiful.

“Those two are really something else.” Lance noted after he finished brushing his teeth.

“Definitely.” Keith said.

“Well, see you tomorrow.”

Lance left.

“See you.”

Sleep only came to them after they wondered when the time would be good enough, when their right moment would come.

After all, they could only wait for it to finally come to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super cute
> 
> again, thank you to everyone who says they love my writing like??? bOI
> 
> next chapter will be posted 12/19
> 
> (also, the chapter will be posted anywhere from 3-5 p.m. PST)
> 
> thank you to the people who reminded me that the world does not share the same timezone
> 
> anyways, don't forget to yell at me on tumblr!!
> 
> 'till next time <3


	14. about a moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance was fully aware he could’ve taken Keith’s hand and ran to catch up with the others.
> 
> But for some reason, his body was purposefully coming up with reasons why that wouldn’t work and they were completely stupid. Like, the sand would slow them down, even though Lance knew well that they could have ran through that easily.
> 
> It was little things that supposedly stopped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after like a fifth of the way through writing this, i remembered the fourth of july exists
> 
> you're welcome

“Congratulations!” 

Everyone clinked their glasses together at the dinner table.

“Thank you all, so much.” Allura smiled warmly, her arms around Shiro’s shoulders as she sat on his lap. “It really means the world to be able to have had you all witness me proposing to him.” She turned to Shiro, resting a hand on his cheek.

“Hey,” he placed a hand over hers, “I proposed to you.”

“That’s not what I’m going to be telling the kids.” She laughed and then took a sip of her champagne.

“Geez, thinking about kids already?” Lance set his glass down. “But that’s good. I get to be an uncle again.”

“That may or may not be a good thing,” Pidge interjected, drink in hand.

“Hey, I am an outstanding uncle.” Lance jabbed a finger at them. “Don’t you think so?” He turned to Keith.

His smile was soft in the candlelight. “Yeah, I think so.”

“See?”

“That, my friends, is biased because Keith has the hots for him.” Pidge pointed out and Keith gave them a look. “Now, Hunk, what do you say?”

“Lance is great.” Hunk patted him on the back.

“Nyma?”

“The best.” She flashed a smile.

“Coran?” Pidge prompted.

“He’s a wonderful man and a wonderful uncle, I’m sure.”

“I’m so touched.” Lance smiled as he pressed a hand to his chest. “Guys, wow.”

“Guess it’s decided then.” Shiro looked at him. “We’ll let you know when your time comes.”

“You two have to get married first.” Pidge set their glass down.

“Ah, right. Just seems like we are already,” Allura rested her head on Shiro’s shoulder. “Took you long enough.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her, smiling. “I thought you were the one who proposed.”

“Listen-”

Keith watched them interact, the familiarity between their bodies, their smiles as natural as could be. Their expressions were vulnerable but even if the world saw them, their emotions were meant for one another’s eyes alone. He tried to smile but he felt his lips come back to an even line as he thought about Lance.

He thought about the beautiful man next to him.

He watched as Lance talked with everyone, skin glowing gently from the lighting of the candles and he loved looking at him.

He loved him.

“-Keith? Keith?” He snapped out of it, realizing the man he was in love with was calling his name. “Hey, it’s time to go now. Check’s been paid. Come on.”

The night greeted them all as they laughed during their walk through the parking lot.

When they all separated, Keith couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Lance.

“So, do you think they’ll have more than one kid?”

“Huh?”

Lance looked at him, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. “Shiro and Allura?”

“Maybe.” Keith resumed brushing his teeth slowly. “But I wouldn’t blame them if they only had one kid, you know?”

“What?!”

“Kids are a lot of work, Lance.”

“No way.”

“You don’t think so because you’re the ‘outstanding’ uncle who’ll play with the kids.” Keith smiled after he finished brushing. “You know it’s true,” he added, before he spit out the excess toothpaste in the sink.

“Hey, you think I’m outstanding.”

“Well, I had to agree with you.” Lance took his turn spitting out his toothpaste. “I am sort of fake dating you, after all.” Keith watched as Lance set his toothbrush down on the counter. “Nyma would’ve had my head if I hadn’t supported you.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t lying.” He took to standing before Keith.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Lance smiled, tucking some hair behind Keith’s ear. “I have a pretty good feeling I’m right.”

“That’s funny cause,” Keith cocked his head, smiling, “I think you’re right, too.”

“Oh, really?”

“Really.” Keith started to lean in when he stopped himself, biting his lower lip. “I’m gonna go to bed now.”

“Ah, alright.” Lance stepped back. “Night, Keith.”

“Night, Lance.” He watched him leave and then he made his way to the bed.

Keith sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering just how to change the relationship between him and Lance. He wanted nothing more for it to be real and tangible. He wanted for it to be vulnerable like Shiro and Allura’s bond.

He wanted but he didn’t know when to express that.

After all that had happened, Lance deserved a proper confession.

Keith pressed his hands to his face, smoothing them over his cheeks as he thought about how both Shiro and Allura had had similar ideas of when to propose. They somehow knew that when they asked that it would be the right moment.

They knew what they were doing.

Neither of them was dating someone else.

Ryan.

Keith let his hands fall to his lap and he watched his fingers intertwine with one another. 

He thought about how they had met, two guys working at the same bar.

“Hey, since I’m on break, can I buy you a drink?” Keith looked at this guy, his coworker, who had taken a seat at the bar. 

“Sure, but seems a little underwhelming, don’t you think?” Keith smiled. “After all, I have to make it.”

“At least that means you know what drink you want, right?” Ryan smiled at him and Keith swore he had never seen something so beautiful.

He continued to think that as they stayed together throughout the years.

Being an art major took a lot out of him.

At first, everything he made never seemed like it was enough.

Each stroke was a mistake waiting to happen.

“Keith, it’s okay. Art isn’t meant to be perfect.”

“You really don’t understand, then.” Keith tucked his paintbrush behind his ear.

“Babe, art is something that happens. It can be planned out but it always happens.”

“Ryan, seriously-”

“Just take a deep breath before you start.” Ryan placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Remember, you just have to let the breath go, just like you have to let go of any control. Art happens. That’s why it’s beautiful the way that it is.”

Keith blew hair out of his face, rolled his shoulders, and then took a deep breath.

He let go of it.

He always did.

And yet, sitting there, he couldn’t.

The back of his throat felt raw.

“Ah,” Keith looked outside, the black of the night greeting him. He turned his head to face forward and then he fell backwards onto the bed, trying to talk himself out of not crying. He kept talking to himself, softly, until he realized that as much as Ryan had caused him grief, he had been nothing short of a dream when they were together. “Shit.”

There was a hesitation building, a lack of conviction to break it off.

He couldn’t do something like that to Ryan.

Not now, at least.

Or, if he was lucky, Ryan would say something.

He would be honest, that he’d had enough of the whole situation.

Yeah, he would be honest.

“Shit.”

Keith did his best not to think about that night as the days continued to happen.

He found peace in watching the filming process as the scenes were directed, everyone occasionally forgetting their lines or making faces at the cameras that were rolling. This usually made people laugh but at the end of some really long days, people were tired.

Especially the director.

“While this is cute and all, we have a schedule to keep up with, people.” She waved her clipboard around. “I have to help my husband prepare the fourth of July party for the family.”

Keith perked at that, wondering where all the time had gone.

“It’s really tomorrow?” Keith put his hair up in a ponytail as he joined Lance in the kitchen. “Really?”

“Yeah, crazy, right?”

“It just doesn’t seem real, you know? Like time doesn’t exist.”

“Filming usually puts people in a whirlwind,” Lance set a pot with water on the stove and turned the gas on. “It’s all like, woah, guess what, now it’s practically the middle of summer.”

“Mmm, yeah. Hey, wait, what are you doing?”

“Boiling water.”

“Uh uh, no way. I will do that.”

“Keith, you can’t be serious.”

He looked Lance in the eye. “I’m dead serious.”

“Okay, then just pour it into the mug when it’s warm so I can put my tea in. I’m going to go wash my face.”

“Okay.”

Several minutes later, Lance worked on his tea while Keith yawned. “I think I’m going to go to sleep now.”

“See you tomorrow, babe.” Keith froze as he watched Lance noticeably stiffen, looking down at an angle.

“Night.”

Everyone got a break from shooting the next day.

“God, this is so nice.” Nyma lifted her sunglasses, propping herself up on her elbows. “I can finally get some sun and relax.” She kicked her leg up in the air, pale in the complete blue of the sky.

“It’s definitely a much needed break.” Lance sat on his towel, internally praying he wouldn’t get sand in his mouth like he always managed to. “It helps that they directed us to this more secluded area of beach.”

“Amen to that.” Pidge raised their book and continued to read.

“Second that,” Hunk added, putting his sunglasses down on his face.

Keith watched the clean ocean before them, not obscuring the sand until some distance away. A soft breeze blew by, carrying the scent of the sea with it. “It’s really nice.”

“I know, right?” Lance looked at him. “It’s a shame Shiro and Allura couldn’t join us.”

“Please, they have things to do now, especially because they’re engaged.” Nyma sat up and crossed her legs. “So, Lance, Keith, what’s the future hold?”

“Uh-”

“Well, looks like someone else gets me.” Pidge looked over the rim of their glasses, eyeing the both of them.

“Woah, so you really are okay with these two, huh?” Nyma tilted her head, hair resting around her shoulders like soft rays of sunlight. “Well, then, boys?” She removed her sunglasses from her head. “The future?” She prompted one last time.

“We don’t know yet, Nyma.” Lance smiled. “That’s a big question.” Keith watched as he answered Nyma with ease. “Anyways, how’s Rolo?”

“Eh, same old, same old. He keeps going off and then coming back.” She shrugged. “But, this is his last chance, I swear to everyone who witnesses this-”

“Sounds wild, as usual.”

“Like a stray cat, that man is.”

Keith smiled as he listened, watching the pale blue sea move calmly. After a few minutes, he moved to stand. “I think I’m going to go for a swim.”

“Alright, be careful.” Lance nodded at him and the afternoon went from there.

Around five, that’s when the hotel saw fit to begin the barbeque.

“Bless their souls,” Nyma opened her suite window, letting the smell waft in. “God, I haven’t eaten barbeque in forever.”

“Smells good.” Lance propped his head up on his hand as he sat at her kitchen counter.

“Right?” She walked back over. “Hey, where’s Keith?”

“Taking a nap. I’ll wake him up when it’s time.” Nyma nodded thoughtfully as she stopped near the counter, tapping her fingers against it, letting her nails clack against the smooth granite. 

“Right.” Nyma looked at Lance, starting to say something then stopping.

“What?”

“You must really adore him to have kept him this much of a secret for this long.” Nyma sat down next to Lance. “Am I right?”

“Nyma, I-”

“Hey,” Pidge knocked on the open door gently. “We’re going to head down soon. Gotta get good seats.” Pidge smiled as they joined the two sitting at the counter.

“Pidge, we’ll be there in a bit.” Nyma waved her hand. “I was asking Lance about Keith.” Lance realized what Nyma had just said and he made motions with his hands to try and get her to stop. She noticed but she went ahead and said, “I was pretty much asking him how much he was in love with Keith.”

Pidge looked at Lance, raised an eyebrow, and went, “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, really.” She stood up from her seat. “Aren’t you interested?”

“I’m more interested in us moving our butts and getting a good spot on the beach, even if we have to drive to where there are less people.”

“Pidge-”

“Do this later.” Nyma shook her head as she walked past, disappearing into her bedroom.

When she closed the door, Lance looked carefully at Pidge. 

They noticed. “What is it, Lance?”

“Thanks for not taking her side.”

“Hey, I have a heart.” Pidge stepped forward, placing a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “I know you really needed a break, is all.”

“Awww, you really do love me.” Lance couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah, just don’t tell anyone.”

“Come here.”

“Fine.” Lance hugged Pidge, who patted him on the back several times. “Okay, let go of me now.”

“A couple more seconds.”

It was nice getting a hug.

Lance let go, ruffling Pidge’s hair. “Just like the old days.”

Pidge acknowledged Lance with a nod as they fixed their hair. “Go get your boyfriend.”

Lance started to speak when Pidge walked off without a word. He sighed and then went back to his suite. He knocked on the bedroom door at first, waiting to see if Keith was already awake. A minute passed and Lance decided to open the door.

Keith was still on his side, asleep.

He looked so peaceful.

Lance quietly made his way over and stopped at the edge of the bed. “Keith.” Nothing. “Keith, buddy, wake up.” Once it was clear his voice was not enough, Lance reached out and pressed his hand gently on the side of Keith’s arm.

He shook him gently until he woke up.

“Lance, what-”

“We’re going to head down in a bit.”

“Oh,” Keith said as he lifted his head slightly before letting it hit the mattress again. “Okay.”

“If you aren’t out the door in a couple minutes, I’ll come and drag you out of bed.”

“Got it.” Keith curled further into a ball, holding onto a pillow. 

A couple minutes later, Lance stood up from the couch to go grab Keith when he saw him enter the bedroom door frame. 

They looked at each other briefly before wordlessly joining Pidge, Hunk, and Nyma out in the hall. 

People flooded the beach.

“What do you say we grab our food and then drive somewhere else?” Lance suggested and everyone resoundingly agreed.

The wait for the food was kind of lengthy, proven by the way the sun begin to dip towards the horizon. The water changed color, the surface reflecting deep oranges and pinks scattered between clouds as the evening drew closer.

“So pretty,” Keith murmured.

“Thanks, I know.” Lance took Keith’s hand in his.

“Lance, that’s not- I meant the view.”

“Excuse you, I am the view.” Lance splayed his free hand on his chest and Keith couldn’t help but smile a small smile, hair being blown gently around his face. 

“Well, it’s not like you’re completely wrong.”

Lance looked over, unsure if he had heard what he just did. 

Before he could say anything, the line moved forward and Keith let go of his hand so that he could hold onto his plate of food.

It was over in a matter of minutes as everyone reconvened, waiting for the car to come pick them up.

“Smells so good!” Nyma danced around. “I want to eat!”

“Go ahead, no one’s stopping you.” Pidge replied, turning to talk with Hunk.

Keith continued to watch the sunset, the coolness starting to get to him.

The car came soon after and they ended up going fifteen minutes down the beach where there was practically no one. “Ah, peace and quiet.” Pidge trudged out onto the sand.

“For a bit, remember?” Hunk followed. “There’s going to  be fireworks.”

“God, I’m so ready.” Nyma laughed, walking out onto the sand.

Keith stayed silent as he walked behind Lance, wondering what the night would bring this time around.

They all sat down and begin to eat their food, the sun practically gone beneath the horizon. A thick stripe sat heavy in the sky over where the water ended, a clementine hue, glowing over the navy shade the water had turned. 

It was breathtaking.

A little bit later, Nyma asked a question. “So, did we bring blankets?” She began to rub her arms slightly. “I mean, it’s kind of cold.”

“I got nothing.” Pidge shrugged and Hunk shook his head.

“Can we go back? Please?”

“Fine. Hunk, Nyma, let’s go.”

Keith froze at the lack of his name not being mentioned just like Lance’s.

“Pidge, you can’t leave us here-” Lance started.

“If I remember correctly, the car’s over there. Let’s go.” Pidge started walking and Hunk spared a glance before following. Nyma stood there, skirt blowing gently around her legs. She looked down at Lance, then at the retreating Pidge.

“Nyma?”

“Sorry, Lance, but it’s cold!” She took off. “Save our spot!” Lance watched in disbelief as she called out behind her.

“Those guys-!” 

Lance was fully aware he could’ve taken Keith’s hand and ran to catch up with the others.

But for some reason, his body was purposefully coming up with reasons why that wouldn’t work and they were completely stupid. Like, the sand would slow them down, even though Lance knew well that they could have ran through that easily.

It was little things that supposedly stopped him.

And for that, he was grateful.

Keith sat next to him on the sand, knees tucked to his chest. He tucked his hair behind his ear, the sea breeze filling his ears. It was quiet for the first few minutes, the ocean filling in for them, the tide reaching and then drawing back as the sky darkened even more.

As the night kept coming, both of them wondered who would talk first.

Then, after a few minutes, they both tried speaking at the same time.

“So-”

“I-”

They turned their heads to look at one another in surprise, eyes focusing in order to see the fading outlines of each other’s faces as the night came ever faster. 

“Ah, you first.” This startled Keith as Lance spoke.

“So, you think they’re coming back?”

“What?”

“They’ve been gone for a while.”

“No way they’d leave us,” Lance assured. “They’ll come back.”

“I hope so.” Keith began to rub his arms. “It’s getting a little cold.”

Wordlessly, Lance moved closer and threw his arm over Keith’s shoulders. He pulled him close, drawing him into kind of a hug. Keith felt his eyes widen, his heart almost stop. It felt like a dream, since when Lance drew him closer, he ended up with the side of his face resting against Lance’s chest.

He swallowed.

“God, you’re so warm.”

“I believe the correct term is hot.” Keith made a slight face because he knew Lance was smiling at that moment. “You know, ‘God, Lance, you’re so hot’.” He mimicked Keith, struggling not to laugh.

“I do not sound like that.”

“You sure do.” Lance began to move his hand, creating warmth by rubbing the side of Keith’s arm. This allowed for Keith’s skin to shiver briefly, no longer cold by any means. “I should know.”

“Well, if you did, then you would do a better impression, wouldn’t you?” Keith placed a hand on Lance’s chest after he sat up. “After all, you act for a living.”

“Yeah, well, you’re an artist.”

“And?” Keith searched Lance’s eyes carefully.

“Well, it makes sense.” Lance said this softly, placing a hand over Keith’s. “Art comes from the source of a masterpiece. Makes sense, right?” Even in the dark, Keith could see the smile on Lance’s face. 

“I couldn’t say I was expecting to hear something so...so…”

“So what?”

“So flattering.” His heart was pounding inside of his chest. “I was expecting a lame retort.”

“Looks like you expected wrong, huh?”

“Yeah.” 

The ocean moved in front of them, constant and overlapping itself repeatedly.

“You do realize you admitted you were wrong?” Lance asked, face inches from Keith’s.

They had both leaned in close.

“Way to ruin the moment.” Keith said back, eyes flitting down to Lance’s lips.

A smile spread on Lance’s face. “Oh, so you admit we’re having a moment?”

“Are you going to keep talking,” Keith angled his head, “or are you going to kiss me?”

Confidence continued to wash over Keith like the tide, strong then hesitant in the pit of his stomach.

It pulled him under as he leaned forward to meet Lance halfway, continuing to do so as he kissed Lance and Lance?

He kissed him back.

It was like seeing fireworks.

Any possibility of Keith still feeling cold went away immediately, the hotness of Lance’s mouth completely taking over.

He felt his back hit the sand as Lance continued to kiss him, breaking it off twice to get some air. “Shit, Keith, I-” Lance kissed him again, slowly and then pulled back. Keith could see the stars above in the night sky around Lance. He sucked in a breath as Lance went back down, going for his neck when there was a loud crack.

Keith startled, moving aside and Lance’s face hit the sand.

Lance sputtered as Keith sat up quickly in time to see the sky light up after a streak branched out into many others. “Oh, Lance, look, the fireworks-” He turned, the light letting him see Lance doing his best to spit out sand. “Oh my god.”

“For once,” he spat, “I thought I could go without,” Lance closed his mouth and he made a face, “getting sand in my mouth.” He opened one eye and then opened the other. “But of course this all happens because of you-”

Another crack and the sky lit up again.

Keith didn’t see it because he was too busy laughing.

Lance would have done something but they both knew about his affinity for when Keith laughed.

The sky lit up continuously after that, bright colors exploding and then falling like glitter, fading to dust.

“They’re beautiful, you know?” Keith drew his knees to his chest as he looked at Lance who had resumed sitting next to him. “The fireworks.”

“While they might be, they don’t make up for me getting sand in my mouth.” He bit down experimentally and winced. “Yep, still there.”

“Well, certainly something had to make up for that.”

“I guess something did, even if it caused my misfortune.”

“You’re too much.” Keith smiled as he rested his head on Lance’s shoulder. “You know that?”

“Believe me,” Lance rested his head atop Keith’s, “Pidge lets me know that.” He watched another firework, then a quizzical look crossed his face. “Speaking of Pidge-”

“You rang?” 

Keith jumped, whacking his head into Lance’s and they both groaned as they fell sideways onto the sand. Lance sputtered again and Keith alternated between laughing and groaning from the pain. 

Pidge stood above them, watching the fireworks. “Stuff happened but here I am. Let’s go.”

“You are so-” Lance rolled to his knees and then stood from there. “I can’t believe you.”

“Keith, get up.”

“Right.” Keith got up, laughter reduced to random fits as he stumbled to his feet, caught by Lance. “Ah, thanks.” He looked at Lance and then started laughing all over again.

“You’re too much,” Lance muttered as he helped Keith to the car.

A good portion of the beachgoers were gone in front of the hotel by the time they’d gotten back.

The fireworks had finished and Keith was a tiny bit disappointed.

Pidge left the two of them in front of their suite. “Be safe.”

“Shut up!” Lance shouted and Keith looked at him.

“Lance, people are asleep.”

“Listen-” Keith cut him off, the memory of the sand fresh in his head as he started laughing a little bit again. “Incredible.” Lance threw his hands in the air before putting the key card in and opening the door. Once he closed it behind him, he knew it wouldn’t be wise to push it.

“I’m going to go to sleep in a bit, okay?”

“Ah, okay.”

Once they were both ready, they parted ways like they always had.

“Night.”

Lance sat on the couch and gently ran the tips of his fingers over his lower lip.

Keith sat on the edge of the bed and examined the hand that Lance had placed his over.

“Huh.”

Lance ran a hand through his hair before he got comfortable and patiently waited for sleep to come.

Keith clasped his hands together in his lap as hunched over, resting his forehead where his thumbs overlapped. He told himself to breathe in and out, the tide inside him receding, the high of confidence returning to the sea, where it belonged.

He belonged to the sea, the ocean.

He belonged to the place Lance loved.

Keith slightly smiled as he sucked in a short breath.

Oh.

“He called me a masterpiece.” The smile kept growing as he kept reliving the night.

Maybe, just maybe, everything hadn’t been destroyed.

His heart swelled inside of his chest as he threw himself back, his back hitting the mattress.

He thought about art and what it had done for him.

Keith went back to thinking about Ryan, about what he had remembered earlier.

He thought about Lance.

He thought about where he was, who he had become and to whom.

Maybe, just maybe, everything had changed for the better.

The night escaped him as he lay there, thinking.

Next thing he knew, he blinked and the sky outside was beginning to turn a pale pink.

“Oh.”

The day was relatively okay from then on out.

It was another day of filming and it was supposed to be close to the last scene of the movie.

The setting was the reception to the wedding of the characters played by Shiro and Allura.

“This is even more fitting,” Lance noted, watching the crew set up. “Don’t you think?”

“It’s certainly...something.”

Keith was busy looking at Lance.

He was dressed in slim black pants and a white dress shirt with a vest, sans formal jacket.

But what really made it was the rolled up sleeves.

_Fuck_ , Keith thought.

Nyma came over, looking elegant in an ice blue bridesmaid dress. “So, what do you think?”

“Gorgeous, as usual.” Lance winked and Keith smiled.

“I could say the same of you but I’m sure Keith over there beat me to it.” She placed her hands on her hips, a knowing smile on her face.

“Actually, he hasn’t,” Lance crossed his arms. “What gives?”

“I think it’s because you’re so hot he can’t speak.” Nyma leaned in closer next to Lance, hiding her smile behind her floral arrangement.

“That sounds like him.” Lance smiled and Nyma smiled as they both started laughing.

“Too much,” Keith managed, doing his best to hide the fact that his face was warm.

“So you say but here you are.”

Keith raised his head in slight surprise to see Lance flash him a smile as he walked away with Nyma to go talk to the director. He felt a warmth spread in his chest and he watched Lance’s facial expression as he and Nyma listened attentively.

“So I say,” Keith said to himself, noting the distance still between them, “but here I am.”

“Here you are where?”

“Pidge, you have got to stop scaring me like that.”

“Yeah, well you have got to stop going off in these little moments where you examine just how much you’re in love with my friend and just tell him already.”

“Pidge.”

“Keith.” Pidge nodded before walking off and Keith watched them in complete disbelief.

“Believe me,” came from Lance as he came over, “I know that look well. It is expected after hearing something very to the point from one Pidge Gunderson.” He placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “So, what did they say this time?” Keith turned his head, seeing the deep blue of Lance’s curious eyes.

“Something I needed to hear.”

“Oh, really? That good?”

“It’s not anything new.”

“Tell me.”

“Not now.” Lance raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth when the director called for everyone.

“Alright, people, take your places!”

Allura walked over in a wedding dress, hitching it up with ease. “As much as ball gowns are nice, they are not what I’m looking for in a wedding dress. Too much fabric.”

“I think you should consider it.” Shiro walked over in a tuxedo. “You look beautiful.”

“I’d say I’d think about it but I love you too much to lie to your handsome face.”

“Is that so?”

Everyone smiled as they made their way over to the dance floor.

“This is gonna be good,” Lance said. “I am the best dancer out here.”

“Remember, this is sweet and gentle dancing, easy and fun,” the director interjected. “No wild moves, please.”

They started playing the music and then they began filming.

Everyone looked genuinely like they had resolved the fake problems they had encountered in their roles. 

Shiro and Allura were dancing across the floor like professionals as Lance, well, struggled.

“It’s too forced.” The director crossed her arms. “You look like you don’t feel something for this woman. Remember that while we try again.”

So everyone tried again but Lance’s performance was still lackluster.

“Let’s try a five minute break.”

Everyone talked.

“Okay, back into position!”

But once again, Lance was lacking a connection with Nyma.

This surprised Keith; he noticed this while he watched Lance attempt the scene over and over.

Then the director decided to call it a day.

“Practice with someone you love.” The director said, one final thing to Lance.

Lance thought about it all evening, thinking about the person he loved.

He finally decided to knock on the bedroom door, knowing well Keith had said goodnight a while ago.

And yet his voice could be heard through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so, when i woke up this morning, i decided lance is like anakin with the whole sand thing and i'm cryin
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading! next update will be 12/22
> 
> scream at me on tumblr!!


	15. is that it grows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith, in the meanwhile, thought thoroughly about everything Pidge had ever said to him. He thought about how they had accidentally given Lance the wrong phone number. Funny, how an accident like that resulted in him falling for someone else. He sat still for a bit, taking a deep breath as he looked at his phone next to him.
> 
> He realized that it was time to end this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is like the shortest chapter out of the entire fic, sitting at 3k
> 
> but it's good and worth it, you know?
> 
> anyways, i was listening to taylor swift while proofreading this today and dropping this 17 hours earlier (thank everyone who gave 42 notes to that post that only needed 30) than promised and new romantics came on and i can hear it, like, at the end of this chapter
> 
> also shout out to whoever sees the lines that were in the infamous chapter 9
> 
> anyways, here you all go!

When they got back that evening, Keith left to sit in the bedroom after he had told Lance goodnight.

Lance was busy wondering about how to make his performance better.

Keith, in the meanwhile, thought thoroughly about everything Pidge had ever said to him. He thought about how they had accidentally given Lance the wrong phone number. Funny, how an accident like that resulted in him falling for someone else. He sat still for a bit, taking a deep breath as he looked at his phone next to him.

He realized that it was time to end this.

Once he took several more deep breaths, Keith found Ryan’s name in his contact list. His thumb hovered over the call button for a bit. He ended up hitting it.

As he raised the phone to his ear, Keith thought a lot about what he was doing.

It was, needless to say, what needed to be done.

Each ring of static made his skin crawl as he sat there, heart pounding a little harder in his chest. Another ring and at that, Keith prayed he wouldn’t pick up. But he did.

He always did.

“Hey, Keith, how’s it going?”

Keith couldn’t let the words go quite yet. “It’s going great. They’re almost done filming.”

“You sound sad.” This surprised Keith.

“What...what makes you say that?”

“Keith, I’ve always been an honest guy. You sound sad.” There was a pause. “It must be hard, considering all you went through by being a part of this fake dating business. And, it seems, that it’s changed things for you.”

“How can you tell?” Keith asked softly, cradling the phone to his ear.

“I’ve known you for quite some time, Keith. A relationship teaches a person about another person. It’s how it works. And you, well, you get attached easily.”

“Do I now?”

“It’s not like I can blame you. It’s easy to see it in your face and the way you speak.” Another pause. “I hear it in your voice, Keith. I hear it when you talk about him.

“It wasn’t as strong early on but the more I hear you speak, the more I hear about him.”

“Ryan-”

“Keith, I’m not wrong. I know you. It wasn’t like it was a secret, you know?” Ryan smiled to himself on the other end of the line. “You’re not a very good liar.”

“Really? I thought I was kind of good.”

“I’m sure he knows by now, right?” Keith felt his eyes widen. “That you’re in love with him?”

Keith didn’t have anything to say in response.

“I’m sure your eyes have given it away by now. If he doesn’t know, then, well…”

“Ryan, I-”

“You should tell him.”

“What are you saying?” Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Keith, not a day goes by that I wish what happened didn’t happen. But it was beyond my control, you know? Remember what I told you? Art is something that happens-”

“It can be planned out but it always happens.” Keith finished softly.

“And your life is your work of art, you know? It’s such a shame I had to go and lose you.”

“Ryan-”

“Keith, I understand. Everything happened, there’s no going back. Even if you come back, you’re still going to be thinking about him. Which, of course, is inevitable. Sounds like you two have been through alot together, especially with me going to the bar that one night so long ago.

“It...it just all fell apart from there. The moment you left for Hawaii, I knew you were gone. It was bad enough when you went to study abroad but this time the tide really shifted. You were off to somewhere else with someone you happened to fall in love with. It was only a matter of time.

“So, I think you can understand when I say it’s for the best that we break this off. Keith, I love you and loving you means I want you to be happy.” There was a pause. “I know that’s the first time I’ve said that and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier like you deserved.” A hitch entered his voice and Keith felt the back of his throat grow raw.

“And, well, it’s for the best.” There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “I messed up, you know?”

“Part of me knows I messed up too.”

“Looks like we both did, huh?” There was a slight laugh and Keith couldn’t believe this was happening.

It was happening.

“I think, I think that you should tell him soon.”

“I-”

“It’ll change things and maybe it won’t. But, you know, when he came to my hotel room to talk to me, I asked him if he was in love with you. He denied it, at first, but then admitted it.” Ryan’s voice kept steady. “You two are incredible, falling in love so fast and not saying anything.

“But then again, it’s not like you could.” There was a pause. “You’re still tied to me.”

“That’s-”

“And, like I’ve been saying, it’s time to let us go. It’s been time for a while. The minute you believed I cheated, it was all over. Or maybe, it was the minute you met him. But either way, what happened happened. There’s no ignoring that.”

“I suppose not.” Keith stared at the floor.

“Don’t sound so sad; you’re a terrible liar.” Ryan smiled to himself on the other end of the line. “One I fell in love with too late.” He paused as he looked at his wall. “This is going to be good. You’re going to tell him and then you two can be as happy as we once were a long time ago.”

Keith was speechless.

“I think...I think it’s best I hang up now.”

“Ah-”

“Take care of yourself.”

“You, too.” There was another pause.

“And, Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

The words were easily said.

“I love you too.”

They each said goodbye and that was it.

“Oh my god,” Keith whispered, the conversation still ringing in his ears. “Oh my god.”

Towards the end of the conversation, that’s when Lance approached the door, about to knock.

He paused, listening, knowing well he shouldn’t be.

When the conversation ended, he considered walking away like he had never been there.

After everything, it hadn’t changed.

It wasn’t worth it.

Lance felt himself begin to back away, getting a couple steps before deciding that the whole ‘it wasn’t worth it’ notion that held him back?

That was complete, utter bullshit.

He bit his lower lip.

He’d had enough.

He’d had enough from the very start.

Everything had come to this.

It was time to do something about it.

He stepped forward, taking a deep breath before raising his fist.

Then he knocked.

Keith blinked quickly when he heard the knock, head turning so he could look at the door. He was reminded of who it could only be and the weight in his chest stayed but it was less than before. His hands reached up and touched his face, making sure he hadn’t been crying without realizing it but his cheeks weren’t touched by tears like he had slightly expected.

Huh.

When his hands came back down, he examined his fingertips, then his palms, searching for something. As he did that, he came to realize what he had been searching for had always been within reach, someone he could reach out and touch.

Ah.

There was another knock and Keith remembered that someone was waiting for him.

“Coming,” Keith called, slowly getting to his feet.

His legs were shaking.

But slowly, he walked forward, placing a hand on the doorknob.

He opened the door.

“Yes, Lance?” Keith asked as he took in the fact that Lance was still wearing his outfit from shooting earlier. “Wait, you still haven’t changed out of-”

“Yeah, well, I usually wear the outfit in order to feel more in character.” Lance scratched the back of his head, looking anywhere but at Keith. “It seems like this character’s really tricky, apparently.”

Keith smiled. “Apparently.”

“I’m sure you saw what happened today.”

“Yeah.”

“Right.” Lance paused, taking a deep breath before facing Keith. “Anyways, what you saw out there today was honestly not reflective of my dancing abilities. I am a great dancer, a top-notch one, thank you very much.” Keith found himself leaning in the doorway as Lance kept going. “It just was an off day, you know?”

“Uh huh.”

“Nobody’s perfect, well, except for me.”

“Clearly so perfect.” Keith couldn’t help but love falling back into what had once been.

“Right, but, it seems my talents were not appreciated enough so, you know, I have to really hone in on my fine dancing skills so that we can wrap up the shooting as fast a possible, especially because the director made it clear it would be good if we finished shooting soon because-”

“Lance,” Keith interrupted.

“Yes?”

“You’re rambling.” Keith noted softly.

“Ah, I guess so.”

“It’s okay.” Keith crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor momentarily. He summoned the courage to look at Lance again. “So, why did you knock on my door?”

_ Because I’m in love with you. _

“Well, it has to do with the fact that I need to practice.”

“Alright.”

“And apparently you did dance when you were younger, or so I heard.”

At that, Keith felt his eyes widen slightly, his heart began to beat a little bit faster.

“Lance McClain, are you asking me to dance with you?”

Lance felt every urge to keep talking and not shut up rather than get to the point. He found himself locking eyes with Keith, carefully watching his face before answering. “Yeah, I am.”

“Why aren’t you practicing with the person you actually have to dance with for the movie?”

_ Practice with someone you love. _

“Let’s just say I have a really good reason as to why I’m asking you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s the reason, Lance?”

“It’s no secret, I’m sure, but I’ll tell you when we finish practicing, okay?” Lance looked at him, smiling and Keith knew that at some point that night, he would tell him everything. 

It was a feeling unlike any other.

“Sounds good.” Keith stopped leaning in the doorway. “Are we going to practice in the living room or…?”

“Yeah, I’m going to move some things around to make an actual space for dancing.” Lance felt incredibly alive as he spoke, surveying the large space waiting to be transformed before him. “It won’t take very long, either. Maybe like ten minutes, tops.”

Ten minutes, they thought.

Ten minutes and then you can go from there.

“Okay, I’ll...I’ll go change.”

Keith closed the bedroom door behind him, resting his back against it, almost sliding down onto the floor because happiness had overcome him. It was like he was submerged in the sea instead of one wave washing over him, retreating like it had never been.

After a couple deep breaths, he found it in himself to make his way over to the closet, wondering what the hell he was supposed to change into. Everything about this was heading towards going wonderfully right and the little details became the number one priority at that moment.

He started humming gently to himself as he thought back to when he did dance and what he had worn. It was usually some version of leggings and a loose shirt, making it easier to move. As he thought back, he shifted through hanging t-shirts, jeans, dress pants, dress shirts, and everything else until he realized he hadn’t really been looking.

Keith went through again, hangers clacking together as he pushed clothes quickly by, not really becoming attached to anything he saw. “I’m fucked, there’s nothing here-” Then he stopped pushing clothes aside, noticing an article of clothing he had completely forgotten about. He reached for it, pulling it off the hanger, holding it up against his body, the swish of material reminiscent of his studio days.

Turns out he wasn’t fucked after all.

Upon realizing it was almost time, Keith stripped himself of his clothes, quickly, almost tripping while kicking his pants off. He laughed after, putting on what he had found after removing his shirt. The fabric felt cool against his skin as he tugged on the sleeves so that the navy fabric stayed smooth in appearance over his upper arms.

Once he felt it was okay, he ran off to the bathroom, fingers buzzing with excitement.

Keith stood there for a second, looking at his reflection, realizing it was something to be admired. After several seconds of standing there, energy building inside of him, he remembered why he had come into the bathroom.

Raising his wrist to his mouth, he pulled the hair tie over his hand.

Lance finished moving the couch a little more.

The floor was spacious but it just never felt like it was enough.

He was anxious.

“Let’s move it some more.”

Keith took a couple deep breaths as he looked in the mirror, smiling at himself, then stopping.

“You have to get out there.” He told himself, wondering if this was such a great idea after all. An overwhelming wave of doubt hit him and it was so easy to go back to the closet and put something else on because no one would’ve seen him dressed like that.

But that’s just the thing.

He wanted someone to see him dressed like that.

He wanted Lance to see him.

Keith rested his hands on the cool of the sink countertop. “So, this is it.” He smiled at himself.

“This is your second chance.”

“Don’t mess it up.”

Lance didn’t know what to do while he waited. Everything was kind of building up inside of him but he didn’t want that to be apparent. He sat down on the arm of the couch for a couple seconds as his eyes darted around, landing on the coffee table where there was a vase of beautiful dark blue flowers striped with light blue. 

The colors ran like water colors. 

He got up quickly and made his way over to the table. Before he knew what he was doing, he had reached down and plucked one, breaking the stem an inch from where the flower petals began. He twirled it in his fingers, looking at it fondly, back and forth several times, wondering what about it was so beautiful.

Keith had finally made his way out of the bathroom, standing in front of the bedroom door.

It was a fingertips reach away.

He raised his arm, fingertips touching the door, fingers curling around the doorknob.

Keith wasn’t sure how to go out there where Lance was anymore.

It was all just a matter of doing it.

He closed his eyes, taking one last deep breath.

Lance, in the midst of admiring the flower in his hand, slightly startled as he heard the door open. It closed right after and he could hear Keith’s footsteps padding along the floor come closer. One last twirl of the flower and the footsteps stopped.

He couldn’t just not look at him.

They were going to dance after all.

“So, you’re rea-” When Lance turned around, he cut himself off as he looked at Keith.

There was a silence as Keith crossed his arms across his chest, looking at him. “We’re going to dance, right?”

Lance was too busy taking in the sight of the dress he had given to Keith in the dressing room all that time ago. 

It suited him nicely, off the shoulder, navy sleeves.

The front of the dress above the waist was white, swirls of navy painting the fabric like brush strokes. The bottom portion of the dress was a navy skirt underneath sheer material that fell like a waterfall, resting against his calves.

The sheer navy material reminded Lance of the ocean, still but shimmering as it kept moving no matter what. He didn’t speak for a bit, especially when he noticed Keith had put his hair up to one side, exposing his neck.

“Lance, I believe you asked me to help you practice, right?”

Keith looked at him with an even, indistinguishable look but Lance knew this wasn’t for nothing. He stepped forward, closer and closer until he was inches apart from Keith, studying his eyes as they did their best not to look away.

Without a word, Lance raised the hand with the flower in it and tucked it in where the gathering of Keith’s hair began. Once he made sure it was secure, he brushed back some hair resting near Keith’s face. “Yeah, that’s right.” 

Keith watched him calmly, heart no longer beating quickly.

It was steady inside of his chest.

He realized immediately this was who he had always needed.

Lance stepped back slowly, his touch lingering on Keith’s cheek.

“I moved everything. Let me just put on the music.” He turned his back as he headed for his phone on the couch. When he got there, he picked it up, a thoughtful look on his face as scrolled down a screen and Keith stood there, waiting for the music to begin.

But it didn’t.

“Lance, what’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking,” he looked at him, “you’re the dance expert. Why don’t you pick a song?”

“Ah, so you admit you’re imperfect,” Keith smiled endearingly, making his way over.

“That’s not-”

“You called me an expert.”

“It just means I see you as an equal.” Lance looked elsewhere. “I have for a while.”

Keith looked at him softly, opening his mouth to say something when he remembered a song.

When he found it, he started it and set the phone down.

“Well, ready?” Keith outstretched his hand.

“I was born ready.”

“Then take my hand.”

Lance took Keith’s hand, praying that it was finally, finally time.

“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay but like listen to me...the second half of the chapter? yes, complete anastasia vibes!!!
> 
> next chapter will be posted 12/25 and it is the last regular chapter before the epilogue!!!
> 
> 7k and the christmas present we all deserve
> 
> until next time loves!!!


	16. in a beautiful place;

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this was it.
> 
> This was finally it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly don't have anything super long or meaningful to say for this chapter
> 
> i'm saving that for the epilogue
> 
> anyhow, merry christmas / happy holidays everyone
> 
> this one's for you

Lance couldn’t help but smile as the song began.

“Hey, I know this one,” he commented as Keith led him to the middle of the floor.

“Yeah, I remember you sang it once in the car.” Keith stopped walking and then turned around. “It’s nice.”

The easy guitar riff sounded and the singing started of with simple and repetitive hip hips. Keith did his best to let his shoulders relax as he let go of Lance’ hand. “So, how would you dance to this?”

“How would you?”

“Lance-”

“You’re the teacher, so, teach me.”

“You’re too much.” Keith placed his hands on his hips and looked down at the floor for several seconds, closing his eyes and nodding his head to the music. When the band got several lines into the song, Keith opened his eyes and made eye contact with Lance. “Come here.”

Wordlessly, Lance obeyed.

“So, the way I see it, this song is like one of those slow, romantic songs but in a way that makes the body easily sway. If you heard this at a wedding, it would be all smiles and easy dancing, nothing too extravagant.” Keith took Lance’s hands and put them on his hips. A small smile graced his lips as he did so, removing his hands and placing them on Lance’s shoulders. “It’s the composed way of dancing with a partner.”

“Oh, really?” Lance looked down at first as they moved slowly side to side, then almost in a circle. “Kind of feels like I’m slow dancing at a middle school dance.” He looked up, catching Keith’s eyes on him. “I haven’t done this in years.”

Keith cocked his head. “You never went out dancing with-”

“Sure, I went out dancing, but,” Lance smiled, “not like this.”

“Ah, so you think you’re a good dancer with moves and yet you don’t dance like this.” Keith smiled endearingly as he removed his hands from Lance’s shoulders, moving them slowly down his arms. When he got to Lance’s hands, he removed them from his hips and held onto them.

Connected by only their hands, Keith spoke. “Twirl me, Lance.”

Lance did that, Keith moving in a spin, dress billowing out around him. Then, Keith ended up reaching out the other way, spreading his arms wide. While holding onto his hand, Lance pulled him back in and he spun, ending up with Keith’s back pressed against his chest.

He grabbed Keith’s other hand, cradling his arms in his as they moved slowly, swaying with the music.

“And you were saying I don’t have moves.” Keith felt his back press a little harder into Lance’s chest and he only smiled, looking at Lance’s arms underneath his, wrapped around his torso. “Keith, how could you?”

“I suppose I was wrong then, huh?”

“Well, I’m always right, so-”

Keith felt himself laugh.

“Hey, that’s-”

“Please, Lance, just be quiet.” Keith felt his fingers squeeze Lance’s hands tighter. “Anyways, you wouldn’t be talking like this at a wedding, especially one being filmed.”

_[We’ll run away together](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVHUjzZZGQ4&index=1&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC) _

“You don’t know that.”

_We’ll spend some time forever_

“Well-”

_We’ll never feel bad anymore_

“I’ll tell you what, you can decide for yourself at Shiro and Allura’s wedding.”

Keith felt his grip on Lance’s hands loosen slightly.

_We’ll never feel bad anymore_

“But they just got engaged. Are they getting married so soon?”

“Actually, their wedding is going to be in December.”

_We’ll never feel bad anymore_

“Oh.” They stopped swaying as the next song came on.

“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure they’d want you to come.”

“That’s nice of them.”

The piano that started the next song played gently as Keith let go of Lance’s hands, removing Lance’s arms from around him. It was an even slower song, a beautiful one, and as the lyrics came on, Keith had no choice but to spin around and continue teaching Lance.

_[You’re in my arms and all the world is gone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad7ejBn3KSQ&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC&index=2) _

He took one of Lance’s hands and placed it on his back as he reached and placed one hand on Lance’s shoulder. With his free hand, he reached forward and took Lance’s hand, holding it out to the side, slightly above shoulder level.

_ The music playing on for only two  _

He stepped in accordance and Lance kept up with him.

_ So close together  _

“Yeah, but I think it’s kind of a bad idea to get married in winter.”

“Really?”

“It’s going to be really cold.”

“Well, it’s their decision, Lance. You have to respect that.”

Lance knew at this point this wasn’t the dancing the director had wanted from him; it wasn’t fun or playful but it was everything Lance had needed.

It was relaxed, easy to fall into and it didn’t hit him that the song had ended after Keith had stopped moving. “Lance.”

“Yes.” He blinked twice, noticing he was still in the same position, holding Keith’s hand with one arm outstretched, his other hand resting on the small of his back. And all of a sudden, he became aware of Keith trying to remove his hand from the one that was being held by Lance’s hand.

_[It's the light of day that shows me how](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA&index=3&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC) _

_ And when the night falls, loneliness calls  _

Lance smiled and pressed Keith closer to him.

“Lance?”

“We’re going to have fun.”

Lance picked up the pace with his footwork as Keith followed, barely missing having his feet stepped on. But nonetheless, it was exhilarating.

_ Oh, I wanna dance with somebody  _

That’s when Lance started twirling Keith left and right.

_ I wanna feel the heat with somebody  _

It was faster and felt more alive.

_ Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody  _

“Lance, this is-”

_ With somebody who loves me  _

“It’s great I know.” He smiled a knowing smile as he let go of Keith and started dancing on his own, staying close to him. It was simultaneously the best and worst experience of Keith’s life since he came to realize the moves that Lance was displaying were what he considered “moves”.

“Lance, oh my god.”

“Good, right?” He kept dancing and then towards the end of the song, he grabbed onto Keith’s thighs and lifted him unsuspectingly into the air.

“Shit, Lance-”

“Don'tcha wanna dance with me baby?”

Lance sang into the fabric of Keith’s dress.

“Don’tcha wanna dance with me boy?”

He sang it softly as he lowered Keith so that his feet touched the floor.

“Hey, don'tcha wanna dance with me baby?”

Keith held onto the back of Lance’s neck with both hands, watching him as he sang.

“With somebody who loves me.”

The song finished out but it was hard to know because all Keith could do was look at Lance, the man who had his arms around him at that point in time.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“That’s good.”

Keith felt himself almost being tugged forward when Lance let go.

The disappointment sat heavy in Keith as the next song came on.

_[I know your insides are feeling so hollow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU8B4XDI3Uw&index=4&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC) _

_ And it's a hard pill for you to swallow, yeah  _

_How appropriate_ , they thought.

_ But if I fall for you, I'll never recover  _

_ If I fall for you, I'll never be the same  _

After taking a deep breath, Keith placed his hands on Lance’s shoulders, waiting for him to place his hands on his hips. The song continued to play as Lance just looked at him.

_ I really wanna love somebody  _

“Lance?”

_ I really wanna dance the night away  _

“We have to practice.”

_I know we're only halfway there_

Instead of placing his hands on Keith’s hips, he placed them on his face.

_ But you can take me all the way, if you take me all the way  _

To Keith’s surprise, Lance kissed him on the forehead. Once he pulled back, he acknowledged Keith’s comment. “I know.”

He removed his hands and placed them on Keith’s hips.

_ I really wanna touch somebody  _

“Alright, let’s start again.”

_I think about you every single day_

Keith leaned forward and let his forehead fall onto Lance’s chest. He laughed once before falling to his knees, the dress pooling around him in the lighting of the suite. He placed his hands on the floor beside him and he kept his head down, feeling his shoulders as they began to tense again.

_ I don't know where to start, I'm just a little lost  _

Lance knelt slowly before him.

_ I wanna feel like we're never gonna ever stop  _

“Keith, what’s-”

_ I don't know what to do, I'm right in front of you  _

“I have something to tell you.”

_ Asking you to stay, you should stay, stay with me tonight, yeah  _

“Really.” Lance felt his lips press together, knowing well that this was goodbye.

He had heard Keith through the door.

But to let him go without a fight? Impossible.

“Lance, this...this whole thing?” Keith raised his head. “It’s too much.”

“Keith, listen, practice is over and-”

“Lance, please, just listen to me.” Then Keith did something Lance didn’t expect him to do in that moment.

He smiled.

“At the start of summer I received a phone call that was an accident. It was by no means perfect but it was unusual, a strange call from this guy, an actor. A couple weeks later, I met him for coffee, and, well, he made the mistake of kissing me.”

“Hey-”

“This guy was by no means perfect, even if he was attractive. He was flirtatious, loud, and always there making incredibly horrible puns.” Lance’s face stayed perfectly still as he listened. “But, through the extenuating circumstances that allowed me to see into his life, I realized that he wasn’t just flirtatious, loud, and always there making incredibly horrible puns.

“This guy who called me lived with his friends. One, I could see, loved him very dearly while the other, despite denying it, loved him very much as well. They were like a family- a family at times I felt a part of and at times also didn’t.

“He also had part of his family come to visit, a beautiful older sister who understood my love for art. She had a couple of kids, a boy and a girl, the sweetest children who were very loved by the guy I had met only a little while ago.” He paused, still smiling. “He was a wonderful uncle.

“And as I spent more and more time with him, well, it was only a matter of time before I fell in love with him.”

Lance’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

“I wanted to tell him that one day but that was the day everything fell apart. My boyfriend showed up, cleared his name, and it was looking like everything would be gone between me and this guy. But his friends saved our relationship by making him go and look for me.

“I went to Hawaii with him for a couple months. He took good care of me, letting me have the bed instead of the couch- I mattered more than his beauty sleep.” He laughed gently, looking down at his hands, one holding onto the other, neither of them shaking.

“There, I got to meet a coworker who was a dear friend to him. She scared the shit out of me at first, but as the time passed by, I learned that she was okay with me. It was an incredible opportunity to come to understand that people trusted me who loved this guy very much.

“To betray that trust was something that scared me.” He paused, smile slipping from his face. “I used to think about that when I called my boyfriend back home. Then, I started to call back less often as the days rolled by and, well, it was because I’d had a change of heart.”

He looked up, the look on Lance’s face incredibly vulnerable.

“My heart decided that it belonged somewhere else.” Then, slowly, he reached out and took Lance’s hands in his. “To someone else.” He paused before continuing. “That’s why, earlier this evening, my boyfriend and I decided that we were no longer together.

“And that guy that I met all those months ago?” Keith squeezed Lance’s hands gently. “I’m in love with him.” Extracting one of his hands from Lance’s, he reached up and touched Lance’s face. “I’m in love with you, Lance.” He smiled easily as Lance placed a hand over his. “I love you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Lance, at one point, had moved to sitting down on the floor. He pulled Keith forward into a hug, arms around Keith’s neck like they were never letting go. “Keith, I’m going to need you to listen to me.”

“Anything.” Lance slowly let go and Keith sat back.

“At the start of summer, I called this guy because my manager had given me the wrong number.”

“Lance-”

“No, let me have this. Please.

“Anyways, when I met this guy, I teased him incessantly on the subject of how he might have been attracted to me. It was all fun and games until I kissed him in that coffee shop because I wanted to avoid being hit on by a cashier.

“Little did I know it, I accidentally kissed this guy, not knowing full well that I would fall in love with him.”

Keith smiled at that and Lance had never seen anything prettier.

“He was by no means appreciative of my teasing, since he ‘beaned’ me in the stomach after I planted one on him.”

“Hey-”

“When my manager found out that the paparazzi had gotten wind of this, the only option was to pull him into my world as soon as possible. He had just gotten out for the summer and my friends and I promised to give him money for college tuition if he agreed to date me for the cameras.” He paused. “All he had to do was get clearance from his boyfriend.

“He got it and everything went from there. We went out occasionally, to go do things like go to the beach and shop and it turns out, we had actually seen each other before, even if we didn’t really remember it at the time. This guy ruined my opportunity to win the championship and it was the strangest thing.

“But,” Lance looked down at his hands, “I came to find that I didn’t mind losing in the past because the present I was sharing with this guy, who had an amazing laugh, was enough to make up for our past connection and more. He was very into the arts and he himself was a masterpiece. And like all great works of art, I became enamored with him. It was difficult, because even though we were acting, it always, always seemed like we were walking a thin line regarding affection. In my head, for a bit, I believed that it was real, that this guy I was in love with?” Lance looked directly at Keith. “It felt like he liked me back, at least a little bit.

“It was quite a week I spent with him before his boyfriend came to town, and, well, not gonna lie, this guy broke my heart. But I couldn’t help but still love him. It was rough being with this guy, especially because the one friend who loved me but denied it forced me to get my life in check by making me go after him, all the way back to the place where I had first kissed him.

“Then,” there was a pause, “I went to Hawaii with him. We were forced to share a room and that made things...difficult. But as time flew by, it was easier and became more natural. He was introduced to my friend and ex and she wholeheartedly came to approve of him over the span of a couple months. It meant a lot because she and I had been through thick and thin together.

“After that, everything just kind of felt right. I spent the fourth of July on the beach with this guy. It felt exhilarating to kiss him again, even if it ended with me getting sand in my mouth. Twice.” He smiled and Keith placed a hand over his own mouth, trying not to laugh.

“Then, I, um, had trouble dancing, which was unbelievable. So, before I left for the day, the director told me something.”

“Yeah?”

“She told me to practice with someone I love.”

Keith felt his heart swell in his chest as he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

“So, when I knocked on this guy’s door earlier, it was because I was finally ready to admit that I was wrong.”

Keith sat back, raising an eyebrow.

“I was wrong because I should’ve told this guy that I was in love with him sooner.” Lance looked at him, cocking his head, leaning forward into Keith’s space. “I’m in love with you Keith.” He reached out and pressed a hand to Keith’s cheek. His eyelashes fluttered gently on his cheeks as he smiled. “I love you.”

“Really?” Keith looked back at him.

“Yeah.”

_[These moments uh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf39NInxM_A&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC&index=5) _

_ The second for  _

_ Centred on you _

The song that played in the background finished out, like the tide receding back into the sea, back to its home because that’s where it would always belong.

“Hey, are you crying?” Lance asked.

“Just, uh, just a little bit.”

“Good, cause, uh, I am too.” Lance took Keith into a hug as they sat there, hearts beating comfortably in each of their chests. They sat there for a while, holding onto one another because it was confirmation that they were real.

They were real together.

_[Para tu amor lo tengo todo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWkQbrfSvfs&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC&index=6) _

“Hey, Keith?”

“Mmm.”

“Dance one last song with me tonight.” Lance let go and slowly got up, not breaking eye contact. He held out his hand and Keith used it to help him stand.

_ Tengo mi vida toda entera a tus pies  _

Lance pulled him close like had done earlier and he grabbed onto his wrist in order to keep his arms around Keith. While he did that, Keith let his hands rest on the back of Lance’s neck, arms bent comfortably in between them.

They started moving slowly, taking in the ease of the music, the gentleness of the lyrics.

_ Para tu amor yo solo tengo eternidad  _

_ Y para tu amor que me ilumina  _

As the word amor was repeated, Keith couldn’t help but smile to himself.

So this was it.

This was finally it.

_ Por eso yo te quiero tanto que no sé cómo explicar lo que siento  _

Keith felt as Lance brought his face closer to his, the sides of their faces close.

He felt like it was a dream, especially when Lance started singing the rest of the song softly in his ear. But before the song finished, Lance decided that that would be a good time to kiss his neck and Keith would’ve felt like melting if he didn’t do it over and over.

It was a ticklish sort of sensation.

“Lance, stop, come on-” Keith couldn’t help but laugh, then went serious again. “Lance!”

“Yeah?”

“You’re-you’re tickling me.” Keith did his best to try and step back but he was laughing and not at the same time, managing to trip as he fell backwards, grabbing onto Lance and taking him down with him. It definitely wasn’t a pleasure for his back hitting the floor but Keith found, after a while, that he didn’t mind.

“You okay?” Lance asked, raising his head.

“Mmmm, yeah.”

“Okay, good.” Lance’s head went back for Keith’s neck and Keith immediately lifted lifted his hands from his chest to push Lance’s face away. “Don’t. That’s how we ended up on the floor. This is the second time I’ve broken your fall in this suite, Lance.”

“Fine.” Lance moved Keith’s hands away from his face and he looked down at him, lovingly. “So, where do we go from here?”

“Something tells me that we should start this off with an actual kiss.” Keith smiled up at Lance.

“You really love being kissed by me, don’t you?” Lance leaned in closer, a smile edging onto his face.

“You’re asking me if I love being kissed by the man I’m in love with? Then yeah, I do.”

Lance couldn’t help but kiss Keith after that, firmly, as he caressed the side of his face.

As they both thought about breaking it off, they realized that there was no rush.

They had all the time in the world.

Lance smiled and so did Keith as they separated for a few seconds, realizing that this was no longer fake and while it hadn’t been for a while, it was finally valid. The touch they had always longed for from one another was now a promise that it would always be there.

“How did I get so lucky?” Lance asked breathlessly before kissing Keith again.

When that kiss was broken, Keith answered back. “I can only ask myself the same thing.”

As they stayed there, the song ended and the start of the next one began.

Lance’s eyes widened as he looked down at Keith, immediately recognizing the acoustics of [this one perfect song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHTsc9PU2A&list=PLRkwZI87UetjHEo_iyzNdt80rTBVBZ0hC&index=7). He placed a hand on the side of Keith’s face, waiting several seconds before singing, “Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be chill but you’re so hot that I melted.

“I fell right through the cracks and now I’m trying to get back.

“Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my best-est.

“And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention, I reckon it's again my turn.

“To win some or learn some.

“But I won't hesitate no more, no more,” he sang softly, watching as Keith’s eyes watched him. “It cannot wait, I'm yours.” He smiled.

Then, unexpectedly, Keith picked up where he left off.

“Well open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free.” Lance loved when Keith smiled as he said damn.

“Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love,” he sang softly, “listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing. We are just one big family and it's our Godforsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved.

“So I won't hesitate no more, no more. It cannot wait I'm sure. There's no need to complicate, our time is short. This is our fate,” he rested a hand on Lance’s face, “I'm yours.”

“Hey, you know this song,” Lance said, smiling.

“Yeah, I do. I didn’t used to like it but what can I say?” Keith kept smiling right on back. “It grew on me.”

At that, Lance kissed Keith really fast and then kissed him all over his face, many times over as Keith began to laugh once more, especially when Lance kissed his jawline and his neck and it was like this love would never end.

“Lance, look, you really have to stop-”

“I’ve gone too long without honestly kissing you.” He kissed him again. “Gotta make up for that.”

“How long are we going to stay on the floor, hmmm?”

“All night if we have to.”

“Lance, that’s-”

“What? Romantic? Endearing? Lovely?”

“As much as I’d love to lay here with you, I don’t want to be lying on this floor all night. Come on,” he pressed his hands to Lance’s face, “get up.”

“As much as I’d love to, no.”

“Lance.”

“Sí, mi amor?”

“Don’t play cute with me.”

“Keith, mi corazón, no-” Before Lance knew it, he was on the floor and Keith was on top of him, dress pooling out around him, exposing most of his legs. Lance swallowed and Keith only smiled.

“There, you can stay on the floor all night if you want to.”

“Keith, babe, listen-”

“Or you can come sleep with me in the bed.” Keith watched Lance carefully. “As much as I love you, I need to get some sleep.” He smiled a small smile. “Care to join me?”

“Anything for you.”

They each took their time getting ready for bed, changing and brushing their teeth.

It took them by far the longest to do so because the bathroom was there they couldn’t stop glancing at each other, afraid that the other might be gone if they looked away for too long.

When they were finally finished, Keith climbed into bed first, followed by Lance after he had turned off the light.

They both faced inward so that they could see one another.

Lance took Keith’s hand in his, massaging it gently.

“I almost don’t want to fall asleep,” he admitted, not looking at Keith.

“I know what you mean,” Keith whispered. “I’m afraid that if I go to sleep, this will all have been a dream.”

Lance looked at him, finally, and pulled him close again. He wrapped his arms around Keith, letting his head rest on one of his arms as he held him close. “It’s scary, I know. Thinking about waking up without you in my arms is my worst nightmare.”

“You’re...too much.”

“Say what you will,” Lance smiled a small smile before pressing a kiss on the top of Keith’s head, “but all of this is yours.”

“Good.” Keith nestled his face into Lance’s shoulder.

Lance chuckled lightly before pulling Keith a little bit closer. “Goodnight, mi amor.”

“Night, Lance.”

“Until morning, then.”

The night passed peacefully.

Just as the sun was preparing to rise, Keith woke up, getting ready to rub at his eyes when he felt a warmth next to him. He forced himself to blink slowly until his eyes were completely open, noticing Lance’s face,  still as he slept. It hit Keith then, that, after last night, it hadn’t been a dream.

He felt a smile pull at his lips, and it grew, when he saw the way Lance’s hair was messy. At that, he began to laugh slightly, in a hushed manner, trying not to wake Lance but he stirred anyway, going to rub his eyes like Keith had planned to earlier but he realized that there was a warmth next to him as well.

Lance opened his eyes to see Keith laughing.

It wasn’t a dream.

“Hey,” Lance said softly.

When Keith tried to say something back, he just kept laughing silently into his hands.

“Keith, what’s so funny?”

“Your-your hair!” Lance sat up really fast, practically taking Keith with him. He used his hands to smooth it down quickly and Keith could only keep laughing.

“You’re not exactly sitting pretty yourself, pal.”

“Lance, do you really think I mind my hair or yours?” Keith took Lance’s hands and brought them down to Lance’s lap. Then after he let go, he placed both of his hands on Lance’s face, stroking gently with both thumbs. “All I care about is the fact that you’re really here.”

“And you tell me I’m too much.” Lance smiled right before Keith kissed him.

They kissed for a bit, not wanting to leave bed, then the bedroom door flew open.

“Hey, so if all goes right tod-” Pidge paused in the middle of their sentence, noticing as Lance and Keith looked back at them. They crossed their arms. “Well, well, well, looks like the two of you listened to me.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lance noted, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “What’s up?”

“By the way, you guys owe me drinks for a year.”

“Since when-”

“Listen, I recall mentioning to you once that the two of you made me want to light myself on fire. It was so incredibly frustrating, seeing the two of you be so blatantly in love with each other and it seems only right, that as your lord and savior-”

“Pidge.”

“-That you show me a little appreciation.”

“Hey-”

“Pidge is right, you know?” Keith moved to sit next to Lance, taking his hand in his.

“I’m never wrong.”

“Oh really? Last night you said you were.” Keith leaned in a little closer, smiling.

“Okay, look, save that for when I’m not here.” Keith started at that, blushing as he looked at Pidge. “Anyways, Lance, as I was saying earlier, if shooting goes well today, we have a really good chance of finishing filming this week, a few more days at most.”

“Oh, wow.”

“Are you ready to try again?”

Lance looked at Keith before he answered and he smiled.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Good.”

Then the day passed like it was nobody’s business.

Around noon, everyone reconvened at the set.

“Lance, did you practice like I told you?” The director look at him, waiting.

“Yeah, I did.” Lance smiled to himself, thinking about the night before. “I think I’ve really got it this time.”

“Alright then. Let’s see if you can actually walk the walk.” She nodded in his direction before walking off. Once she left, he felt someone rest their elbow on his shoulder.

“So, you ready?”

“Nyma, please.”

“Don’t embarrass me like last time.” He looked at her and she smiled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Glad to hear it.” She almost got to ruffle his hair but he managed to stop her. “Still lightning fast as usual when it comes to protecting your hair.”

“Look-”

“I remember now, actually, that you have pretty bad bedhead.”

“Nyma-”

“Keith can confirm that, most definitely.”

“My hair is always perfect, always-”

“Keith!” Nyma called and Lance immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, almost getting her into a headlock when she bit his hand. He let go and she straightened herself out. “Don’t mess up the hair, Lance! We have to shoot in a bit!”

“Now you know how I feel.”

“I can’t believe I used to date you.” Nyma sighed dramatically, then smiled.

“Same here.” Lance stuck out his tongue like a child.

At least that’s what Keith thought he had looked like as he came over. “Someone call me?”

Nyma perked at that. “Yes, I-”

“Actually, she was just leaving.”

“Lance, hon, I-”

“Next dinner’s on me.”

“You know what, I think the director is calling me. See you!”

Keith laughed as she walked off. “What was that about?”

“She was meddling in my love life, as usual.” Lance took Keith’s hands in his.

“I see.”

As they stood there, the director actually called for everyone who needed to be in the shot. Lance turned his head, looking in her direction before looking back at Keith. “Looks like I’m needed elsewhere.”

“Seems like it.”

“Give me a kiss for good luck.”

“You don’t need luck. After all, I taught you all that you need to know.”

“Keith, read between the lines, my man.”

“I am and I’m saying I’ll kiss you after.” Keith intertwined his fingers with Lance’s. “First, you have to put to use what you know.” He smiled endearingly as the director called once more, specifically for Lance. Keith looked in the direction of the director, wind blowing his hair gently as he looked back. “She’s calling, you, La-” He was cut off as Lance kissed him.

“Yeah, I know,” Lance smiled after he broke off the kiss. “Watch me closely, now.”

“Too much,” Keith said through a smile as Lance let go of his hands and walked away.

After a bit, he took his seat to the side and was joined by Coran.

The two of them watched as everyone took their places, the music starting.

“Three, two, one and, action!” called the director.

Watching Lance dance wholeheartedly was satisfying, especially because Keith knew that Lance was thinking of him while dancing his heart out. He noticed that the director had a small smile on her face as she surveyed the scene.

It was perfect.

“You’re not a professional actor for nothing.” Lance turned to see the director come up to him. “That is the quickest I’ve seen someone improve for a scene.”

“What can I say? I’m a fast learner.” At that, he turned and winked at Keith.

“Well, whoever you practiced with, you must love them very, very much.”

“Yeah, I do.” He smiled softly back at her and she patted him on the shoulder.

“Good work, Lance.”

And it was.

From there, it only took several more days of filming.

When the director announced the fact that they were all set, everyone cheered.

“Cast party will be on Sunday in the Gazebo we filmed in early on! I expect to see you all there! Good work, everyone.” The director smiled as everyone thanked her in return. Once Lance finished speaking with his co-stars, he made his way over to Keith, who stood up to intercept him.

Then, when he got to Keith, he lifted him into the air like he did the night before.

“Lance!”

“We’re all done! We’re done.” Lance smiled as he lowered Keith back to his feet. “Thank you for being here all this time.”

“Thank you for being so great in the first place.” Keith gently brushed Lance’s hair back from his cheek, smiling.

“Wow, no sarcastic comment?”

“Do you want me to ruin the moment?”

“Just curious.” Lance smiled as he leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against Keith’s. “What do you say we go out to dinner, just the two of us? Like we should’ve all along.”

“Better late than never.” Keith smiled as he rested his arms over Lance’s shoulders. “Let’s do it.”

Later that evening, they sat down at a table for two.

“This is nice,” Keith mused, looking around.

“Yeah, it is.” Lance smiled before taking a sip of his drink.

“So, is this our first date?”

“Depends.”

“How do you mean?” Keith cocked his head.

“Do you see this as our first date?”

“Our first regular one, yes.” He smiled. “If I recall, our first encounter involved me punching you after you kissed me. Then, after that, it was miscellaneous days out and about together, pretending to have the hots for one another.”

“Yeah, well, you basically admitted that halfway through you weren’t pretending.”

“So did you, Lance.”

“Yeah, well, look-”

“And now we’re here.” Keith smiled as he set his hand halfway across the table, palm facing upwards. “That’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”

Lance felt his heart flutter in his chest slightly as he placed his hand on Keith’s, warmth shared between the two of them. “Yeah, sounds about right.”

“I’m always right.”

“Listen-”

Keith laughed slightly and all Lance could do was keep smiling.

That feeling pervaded throughout dinner and when they got back to their room.

It pervaded through and through, staying strong as they walked together to the cast party.

“How’s my hair?”

“It’s fine, I’ve told you already Lance, you look beautiful, now-”

“What?”

“I said you look fine.”

“I refuse to budge from this spot until you repeat what I want to hear.” Keith shrugged as he kept walking with the rest of the others who all stayed on the same hotel floor.

“Hey, he needs to be there,” Pidge stated, looking at Keith.

“If he wants to stay there, he can go ahead and-”

“Just do me a favor and go and call your boyfriend beautiful. Please.”

Keith gave Pidge a look before he walked back and managed to get Lance to come along with him.

“Those two will be the death of me, I swear,” Pidge said, smiling, and Hunk noticed.

“So, you do care about them?”

“Tell anyone and I’ll-”

“I’m pretty sure everyone knows,” Nyma smiled as she walked backwards to talk to Pidge. “It’s not like it’s something that’s subtle.”

“What isn’t subtle?” Lance asked as he caught up, holding Keith’s hand.

“You two.” Pidge offered and before anyone else could say anything, they found the Gazebo. It was strung with white lights that highlighted the dark green of the leaves surrounding it. As they made their way in, they noticed that people were happy, smiling.

Everyone enjoyed themselves, sipping on drinks and eating delicious food.

It was nice.

Somewhere in the middle of the socializing, Lance ducked out, taking Keith with him.

“Aren’t you supposed to stay? You’re one of the big four talents.”

“I’m allowed a break, especially because I’m one of the big four.”

Keith looked behind him briefly, white lights fading and he smiled as he followed Lance.

Before he knew it, he could hear the noise of the ocean close by.

“Lance, where-”

“The beach, Keith.”

“No, but, it’s really dark and-”

“Do me a favor and look up.”

He did so, blinking several times before realizing there was a vast sky of night stars for him to witness. “Oh, wow, they’re so pretty.” They lay scattered, tiny dots of white light that sparkled softly, the night wind blowing gently as Keith kept looking up.

“Yeah, they are.” Lance squeezed Keith’s hand a little tighter as he looked at Keith the entire time. “You really are.”

“Me?”

“What can I say, I have an eye for lovely things.”

“Once again,” Keith smiled to himself as he intertwined his fingers with Lance’s, “too much.”

“I know.”

Lance kissed him softly before they returned to the party.

Before they knew it, it was the night before they had to fly back.

“Crazy,” Lance noted, resting his head on top of Keith’s.

“Yeah.” Keith pressed his back into Lance’s chest a little bit more until he was comfortable.

“Believe me, I know.” Pidge stated from the floor.

“I’m with you there.” Hunk added, smiling.

The four of them talked well into the night, watching a movie until it was just the three of them because Keith fell asleep.

“He must be tired.”

“So, Lance,” Pidge swished their remaining drink in their cup before looking at him, “what does the future hold?”

“Well, that’s just the thing Pidge, I don’t know. If my future means not having Keith in my life, then I’m going to do what I planned to do from the moment that I realized what he meant to me.”

“What’s that?”

“Not take him for granted.” Lance looked down at Keith fast asleep, resting on his chest. “That’s the best I can do for right now. I’ll see where that takes us and go from there.”

When they got back, they spent the rest of summer together.

Then, towards the end of August, Keith remembered that he still had college to attend to.

“I going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you more.” Lance hugged him.

“This isn’t a contest.”

“I’m just saying-”

“Too much.” Keith smiled as he hugged him back. “Lance, promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“When you come visit, don’t be so...extravagant about it.”

“Okay.”

Keith learned that that was never going to be the case.

“You promised me.”

The leaves were bright orange melting into yellow outside the art gallery.

“Well, you know me. Too much.”

“Too much,” Keith repeated, smiling to himself.

“Now, which one of these is yours?”

From then on, the days seemed to pass all too slowly.

Schoolwork kept Keith busy, keeping him up late like clockwork. Every once in awhile, he’d call Lance because writing an essay would get to him. “This is probably the worst thing I’ve ever written.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Thanks for agreeing.”

“Anytime, mi amor.”

Keith smiled.

Among the clutter of notebooks and textbooks sitting on his desk, the clock next to him read 2:37 A.M.

There were many more late nights like that, each of them grateful to hear the other’s voice.

Then, once finals week was over, Keith prepared to go back home.

He packed up what he needed and made the trip in his truck.

When he pulled into Lance’s driveway, he could feel his smile growing on his face as he turned the engine off and hurriedly opened the door, slamming it behind him.

Lance met him halfway, enveloping him in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“It’s good to be back.” Keith smiled, pulling Lance closer.

“Welcome home.”

“It’s good to be home.”

A month of freedom was enough.

Two weeks into December, they attended Shiro and Allura’s wedding.

It was relatively small, taking place in a church covered in white decor.

“Congratulations!”

Shiro and Allura smiled as they held hands, rings subtle yet significant on their fingers.

The reception that followed was fun, intimate in the way that it glowed softly.

Upon Allura getting ready to throw the bouquet, Lance wrapped his arm around Keith’s waist, pulling him closer. “This is nice, huh?”

“It is,” Keith mused as the bouquet was tossed. “It really is.”

A few seconds later after groans were heard, an unsatisfied Pidge emerged holding the bouquet. “Not. A. Word.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it-”

“Take it.” They threw it and Keith caught it for Lance. “There, now it’s fitting.”

“I cannot believe them.” Lance watched as Pidge left.

Keith looked down at the blue and white flowers in his arms. He plucked a blue one, admiring it, then tucked it behind Lance’s ear. “Yeah, they’re too much, like someone else I know.”

“You can say I’m too much all you want but remember,” Lance looked at him, “I’m yours.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

And a year later, they still felt the same.

They found themselves getting ready to welcome in the new year, waiting for the clock to strike twelve with everyone else.

But it never did because when a clock strikes twelve, the magic wears off.

Lance made sure it never did by asking Keith one very simple question.

And to this simple question, he responded, “Yes, Lance, of course I’ll marry you.”

Everything was bright as the new year arrived, full of promise and it was all theirs, to have and to hold, for many, many years to come.

They could feel it when they kissed, smiling all the while.

Yeah, it felt good to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really, thank you everyone who's helped me with this story
> 
> and that makes 100,000 words
> 
> we did it


	17. it grows because love happens.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Everything about the two of you gives me hope that the good in this world is always waiting, no matter how near or far. It is waiting and if wanted, it’s ours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, here we are.
> 
> i’m kind of in tears here because this fic is my baby.
> 
> it was a five and a half month long commitment that i saw through, over the course of summer and through my first semester of college. when i first started writing this fic, i thought it was going to be 13k words, at the most. write the fic and be done with it.
> 
> instead, what i got was a fic that was 106,237 words long and the heightened passion to want to write. it’s indescribable, what this fic has given me in return for me allowing it to exist.
> 
> i met so many wonderful people and gained so much support for this fic.
> 
> i’d like to mention the first four that helped me through a lot.
> 
> nick, thank you for helping me with the angst. you broke my heart while doing so but you gave me material and it worked, beautifully. i got so many good reactions, my favorite from felix and lauren, so thank you for being so great.
> 
> emma, thank you for talking to me about my fic. seriously, you’re a sweetheart and it means a lot to know you were here early on. thank you for being a friend and going on this trip with me (and taking vanessa with you).
> 
> sydney, thank you for helping me with aspects of the film. going through that movie name generator was so much fun and i remember it fondly. even though we didn’t find a title, i found you. thank you.
> 
> dai, thank you for loving my fic and ending up loving me instead of hating me for the ride i put you through (this is me also formally apologizing to everyone i killed during this story but thank you for continuing- it’s that you kept going that makes me love you all so dearly). you were a major help with the spanish translations and it was so helpful in the early stages of this project. bless you and thank you.
> 
> there are so many people i’d like to thank as well but if i keep going, it’s going to be a while before you actually get to read the last chapter. so, without further ado, this is blue one last time telling you this is for you.
> 
> enjoy.

“Look at you, my little brother, about to get married.”

Lance looked at himself in the reflection of the tall mirror, then back at his sister. He smiled wistfully. “Yeah.”

Olivia smiled as she gathered her hair so that it rested over one shoulder, falling prettily over the strapless cream colored dress she wore, complete with the silken shawl. “It seems like only yesterday we were younger and only messing around.” Her fingers made sure the white flower pinned to her hair wasn’t crooked, brushing against the smooth petals. “I remember the first time you said you liked someone.” She laughed softly. “You didn’t know what you were doing.”

“I was probably like five.”

“Four, actually.”

“There’s no way-”

“Lance, but what I’m trying to get at is that you didn’t know what you were doing then. Now you’re about to marry a very sweet man and you’re the one who proposed. You’ve grown tremendously, Lance.” She pressed a hand against his cheek, smiling. “I’m proud of you, mi hermoso. You know what you’re doing.”

“Olivia-” Lance felt himself about to cry for the fifth time that day but he only smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot, especially from you.”

“Yeah, well, you did good.”

Lance thought about what was going to happen very soon and went, “I really did.”

They spent several more minutes together before they were joined by Gabriella and Daniel. “Ah, you two look so beautiful!” Olivia doted on her children, both wearing some type of inclusion of cornflower blue on their clothes. “Are you two excited?” She squatted down, letting her knees hit the floor.

“Yes!” Gabriella exclaimed, almost tipping the basket of petals in her hand.

“Hey, watch that! You’re in charge of my dramatic entrance.” Lance looked at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m counting on you, got that?”

She nodded in return and Lance felt himself ease into a smile. Then he turned to Daniel. “Hey, I’m counting on you, don’t forget. Your job is important.”

“I understand, tío Lance.”

“Good.” He squeezed his shoulder and then he heard the door to the room open.

His gaze softened immediately.

“Hola, mamá.”

The tall woman shut the door behind her, brown hair swept up neatly around her face. She made her way over and smiled as she opened her arms wide. “Hola, mi estrella de mar.” Before she could even finish greeting Lance, he was in her arms, hugging her. She laughed gently as she rested one of her hands on his head, smoothing his hair. “My little boy’s all grown up.”

Lance only hugged her tighter.

In another room, Keith sat with Pidge.

“Thank god you said something.”

“Please tell me that’s not going to be your toast. Also, can’t you wait until the toast to have a drink?” Keith cocked his head, knowing his question was pointless. He smiled nonetheless as Pidge took another sip without breaking eye contact. “Spiting me, huh?”

“You know it.” Pidge set their glass down, running their finger along the rim. “But in all seriousness, thank you.” Keith felt his eyes widen a little as he looked at Pidge. “You came along for the ride of your life and you really changed his life for the better.”

“Pidge, I-”

“Of course, it was all thanks to me.” Keith smiled as he shook his head. “But, you didn’t have to help us or him. You didn’t have to.”

“I think it was fate.” Keith gently brushed the side of his pointer finger against the tip of his nose. “After all, it’s not everyday someone like Lance calls someone like me.” Pidge watched him speak, then a small smile slipped onto their face.

“Either way, you’re here now.”

“Yeah, I am.” Keith intertwined his fingers and sat his hands on his lap.

The door opened several seconds later, Nyma appearing in a strapless cornflower blue dress. “Ah, so here you are.” She shut the door behind her, smiling. “Nervous?”

“Not really.”

“Good.” She made her way over as she forced Pidge to scoot over on the chair they were occupying. “Well, you’re going to go second down the aisle with me. You ready?” Keith looked at her. The fact that she readily accepted to walk Keith down the aisle when asked to was everything. He smiled softly at her.

“Yeah.”

They spent the remaining time reminiscing from the memories made after the movie and they were soon joined by Hunk, who had just visited Lance. He smiled with them and some time later, Pidge looked at their phone. “I think it’s time we head out.”

“Already, huh?” Keith looked down at his hands, truthfully more ready for this than he’d let on. “Let’s do this.”

They all left the room and Pidge left to go see Lance again to let him know that they were going to start. Keith indulged in deep breaths as he walked with his friends to the twin doors that separated the chapel from the front of the building. He couldn’t help but look through the crack in the door, noticing how there weren’t many people but it seemed full of life nonetheless.

As the minutes passed by, they seemed to blur as everything came closer.

Then the music started, causing the conversation on the other side of the door to fall silent.

Nyma looped her arm around his. “You ready?”

Keith gave her a small smile as the doors opened.

He watched as Pidge went first, making their way down the aisle, standing off to the side at the altar. Once they took their spot and faced the family and friends, Nyma held onto Keith’s arm a little tighter and made sure the bouquet in her other hand was straight. “Here we go.”

The music played as they walked slowly down the white carpet that ran between the rows of pews on either side. Everyone kept their eyes on him, many of them he’d met after the engagement, who were incredibly sweet people, all part of Lance’s family. As he got closer to stepping up the steps, he saw Coran, Shiro, and Allura. His gaze softened a little as Allura smiled gently, kissing her fingertips and facing them outwards for him.

Next thing he knew, he was stepping up the steps with Nyma. Before she let go of him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered before moving to descend down the stairs and taking a spot on the front pew reserved for her. Keith felt his eyes widen a little but he caught himself, easing into a smile as he stood there, Pidge standing off to his side.

Next came Hunk, smiling at everyone, walking slowly like it was the easiest thing. He made his way up the stairs, looked at Keith and gave him the biggest smile before going to stand on the opposite side of the altar. Keith nodded at him gratefully and then watched as Gabriella made her way down.

The guests awww-ed as she walked down, cornflower blue dress like a little ball gown. A white ribbon sat around her waist, tied at the back, as she scattered rose petals almost expertly. She alternated sides and smiled at the adults as she made her way down, basket empty as she made her way up the stairs, joining Pidge where they were standing.

Time didn’t seem like it was moving fast enough.

As the music played on, Daniel went, both hands underneath the small pillow holding the rings. He watched them attentively as he paced himself, finally making it to the front, delivering the rings to the pastor who took them with a smile. Once excused, Daniel went to go stand next to Hunk, who gave him a welcoming smile.

Keith took a deep breath as he watched the doors open one last time.

Lance’s mother had her arm hooked around Lance’s and she smiled tenderly at him before looking forward. Keith sucked in a breath as they started walking down the aisle, Lance looking down momentarily as he smiled, then blinking and making eye contact with Keith.

_How beautiful_ , they each thought.

As he walked down the aisle with his mom, Lance took in everything that was surrounding him in that very moment. Family, friends, and at the end of his trip down the aisle, his soon to be husband. He smiled, gently biting his lower lip as he continued to look forward, right at Keith, who was waiting for him, a soft look in his eyes. He offered him a small smile and Keith kept smiling right on back.

Once he was escorted up the stairs, his mother let him go and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Te amo, mijo.” She smiled as she descended down the stairs, taking her seat on the front row pew with Olivia and the rest of his family.

Keith watched the exchange thoughtfully, carefully. Lance watched until his mother sat down to turn around and face Keith once more. “Hi,” he greeted, an emotion washing over him like any other.

“Hi,” Keith said back, smiling. He looked at Lance lovingly as they broke eye contact and both faced the pastor who stood before them, nodding at him once in a synchronized fashion. Right as he opened his mouth to began speaking, Keith took Lance’s hand in his, squeezing gently.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Lance McClain and Keith Kogane in holy matrimony.” Lance squeezed Keith’s hand in return and the ceremony proceeded as called for. They followed along with pastor as he read aloud to them and everyone.

It was amazing standing there, knowing every second brought them closer to their vows.

“And now, there will be the exchange of vows.”

With that, they finally faced one another, Keith’s hands placed in Lance’s. There was a second of silence before Lance blinked once, taking a deep breath, and then began.

“As I stand here today, I can only say again what I’ve been feeling since I met you: I’m ridiculously in love with you. Keith, you came into my life in a way I didn’t expect but because you came in so unexpectedly, I got the chance to meet you. Getting to know you made me realize that just because we may have gotten off on the wrong foot,” Lance smiled, “it didn’t mean we’d have to end that way. As the time passed, it gave me a reason to see what was right in front of my eyes. Before me now, as always, I see a beautiful, artistic, stunning man who I have shared the past couple of years with. You have been there for me, no matter what, and I plan to do the same for you during the rest of our life together. Thank you, Keith, especially for loving me back. It’s the greatest gift I could’ve ever asked for, mi amor. Te amo, Keith.”

Keith smiled at him the whole time, feeling as though he was going to start crying but he caught himself before answering Lance.

“Being here today with you, Lance, is the equivalent of a dream. But, lucky for me, I know I won’t have to wake up and that standing here only means our love is capable of undergoing anything and everything. I remember the day I met you, vividly, and to tell you the truth, while it may not have been perfect, our first meeting is ours.” Keith smiled. “I wouldn’t trade that for the world. We learned to grow together and to take each other for who we are; I know you will take care of me, as you always have, and that I will do my best to take care of you for the rest of our life together. It will amaze me for as long as I live that I’m about to be married to the most loving, beautiful, and selfless man I’ve ever known. And it’s a feeling like no other to know that you love me back. Thank you, Lance, for being so full of love. Te amo, Lance.”

They smiled and the pastor took over once more. “Lance and Keith will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment. Rings are derived from humble beginnings of imperfect metal to create something striking where there was once nothing at all. It is customarily worn on the ring finger as it is the only finger with a vein running directly to the heart. The wearing of the rings is a visible, outward sign that they have committed themselves to one another.”

The rings were presented and Lance took one, smiling as he looked at the ring held between his fingers.

“Lance, please take Keith’s hand and repeat these words.” He spoke and Lance followed.

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love, for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come. Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day and know that my love is present, even when I am not.” Lance finished repeating as he slid the ring onto Keith’s left hand ring finger, heart beating comfortably in his chest as he did so.

“Keith, please take Lance’s hand and repeat these words.”

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love, for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come. Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day and know that my love is present, even when I am not.” Keith smiled as he finished speaking and proceeded to slide the ring onto Lance’s left hand ring finger, heart slightly fluttering at the contentedness within him at that very moment.

The pastor spoke some more as Keith held Lance’s hands in his once more. 

Then he came to the part that meant the ceremony was almost over.

“Keith and Lance, you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. You have symbolized your commitment by exchanging rings. With all of this there is just one more question I need each of you to answer. Lance, do you take Keith to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.” Lance had never been so sure of anything in his life.

“Keith, do you take Lance to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

“I do.” Keith, after all, had never wanted anything more.

As they finished answering the pastor, he closed the book in his hands, offering one last smile. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom.”

Keith thought back to that day where he had practiced kissing Lance. He thought about the wedding rehearsals only so many weeks ago, how the kiss had all been in good fun, only growing more serious as the actual wedding came ever closer.

And then it was here, the time for their first kiss as a married couple.

Lance removed his hands from Keith’s and placed one on his face. “So, this is it.”

Keith placed his hand over Lance’s. “It really is.”

There was clapping as Lance leaned in, Keith meeting him halfway. Keith smiled into the kiss first, then Lance did so and to be honest, it wasn’t the best kiss they had ever known.

No, that one kiss back in Hawaii, right after they had confessed, that one was the sweetest.

This was simply another kiss in a line of many but still treasured nonetheless.

Lance took Keith’s hand in his and they made their way down the aisle, smiling together as they walked past the standing guests. They spared only a few glances here and there but really only kept looking forward. 

When they got outside, they were soon joined by Pidge, Hunk, and the kids. 

“Congratulations, the both of you.” Hunk enveloped the both of them in a hug and they smiled as they hugged him back. They stood there like that and Hunk eventually yanked an unsuspecting Pidge into the group hug. “Get in here.”

When that was over, Gabriella ran over and Lance lifted her into his arms. “Did I do a good job?”

“The best.” He smiled as she hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck. “Gracias, mi sobrina.”

“De nada, tío.”

He thought back to when she had visited, forcing the two of them to recognize the potential of his relationship with Keith at the time. At that, he smiled and hugged her tighter. He set her down after a bit, looking at Daniel. “You did a perfect job. Gracias, mi sobrino.”

“De nada.” 

Keith watched, the smile never tiring as it continued to stay on his face.

As they enjoyed each other’s company, the guests came out the doors and down the steps. Lance’s mother came forward and hugged her son, smiling. Once she finished, she came forward and hugged Keith. “Welcome to the family.” She smiled warmly and moved to talk to her grandchildren as Olivia followed.

“That was beautiful, you two. Come here.” She pulled the both of them into a hug. “I’m so glad you two found each other and allowed for this wonderful day to be shared with the rest of us. Congratulations and welcome to the family.” Olivia pulled back and hugged each of them separately, hugging tightly in a way that suggested unwavering support.

As she moved to praise her children, Nyma came next. She smiled at the both of them, hugging Lance first, then Keith. “I’m saving all my good material for the reception so, to put it shortly and sweetly, I’m happy for the both of you. You really deserve this.”

It seemed almost impossible to formulate coherent responses back because Keith felt himself on the verge of tears, and so did Lance. Some of the guests got to them, two of them being Shiro and Allura, before they took off together to the reception.

“Look at the two of you.” Allura held out her arms, and they both hugged her. “So glad for you two.” They backed up, and Shiro congratulated the two of them.

“It was great to be here. Thank you for inviting the two of us.”

“Don’t you mean the three of you?” Keith smiled as Lance acknowledged the way Allura’s stomach slightly protruded from beneath her dress. She rested her hand on her stomach as Shiro came over and rested a hand on her waist.

“Actually, the four of us.” Shiro kissed Allura on her temple as she smiled at Lance. “We found out yesterday.” Keith’s eyes widened and then he looked at Lance, who looked like he was about to cry even more.

“That’s wonderful.” Keith took Lance’s hand. “Isn’t it?”

No amount of words could ever be fitting.

“Yeah.” He broke out into a beautiful smile and squeezed Keith’s hand gently. “It is.”

They spent a little more time together before they departed to the reception.

Everything about the venue was lovely, from the way that it was small and close by the beach to the shiny wooden floors and arches up above. Blue and white flowers were arranged in glass vases on the tables and generally soft music played in the background, white lights wrapped around the arches.

“We’re really here, aren’t we?” Keith held his side with one hand while he placed his free hand on Lance’s hand that sat on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, we are.”

They took in the place for a bit until the guests showed up, wedding party first, then family, then friends. Conversation immediately took over, everyone talking brightly, sitting either inside or out on the porch in order to get in the afternoon sun before it was close to sunset. 

They never left each other that day.

“You two are always together, wherever you go, inside and outside of the venue.” Pidge noted as they sat on the wooden railing of the porch, a glass of golden champagne in their hand. The sky glowed the same color as the last remaining stretch of sunlight sat in a line above the water, the wind blowing gently. 

“Well, to be able to be together like this, it’s a privilege.” Keith smiled and Lance threw an arm around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “It’s the best privilege.” He pressed a hand to Lance’s cheek as he turned his head to look at him lovingly.

“If you need me, I’ll be refilling my glass.”

“We’ll be here.” Lance smiled before he kissed Keith.

As the evening arrived, dinner was served and once everyone was seated with their food, that’s when the toasts began.

Lance’s mom went first.

“My son, it brings me great joy to be here today, to see you wedded to such a wonderful man. I have long taken care of you and by finding someone to share your love with, you have given so much back to me. I know in my heart that I raised a very caring and loving little boy and to see that my time with you to this day yields the same virtues is proof that you are happy. Thank you to you and Keith for bringing us all this day and it pleases me to know your happiness will continue in the future.” She smiled as she passed the mic and Lance smiled, eye watery, at his mother.

There was applause as Nyma was passed the mic. “So, I’ve known Lance and Keith for a while. Lance has been my best friend since college and I met Keith a couple years ago. Needless to say, I fell in love with both of them as individuals and then, as a pair. Lance is the most unselfish human being I’ve ever known and for that, I wanted the best for him. Then, Keith came along. Incredibly talented and caring in his own right, it was then that I knew that the two of them deserved each other. As the time went on, it became clear that this was a very special bond. So, Lance, Keith, take care of that for me.” She smiled at the two of them and they smiled back.

Applause followed and several more people spoke, each continuing to make Lance and Keith smile at the middle of their table up on the stage. Hunk went near the end. “Lance, it’s been a ride knowing you. The person that you are is one that is full of warmth; you attract all kinds of people. It makes me happy that you attracted someone like Keith, an equally wonderful and warm soul. The two of you, despite the bumps, have made each other very happy. It pleases me to be here as your best man, Lance, on what must be the happiest day of your life. Here’s to the two of you.” More smiles were exchanged and then it was finally Pidge’s turn to speak.

“So, I’ve known Lance since high school. As much as he’s been a mess to be around sometimes, it’s only fair that I admit he’s not completely a mess all the time. Yes, he’s partially the reason I find myself with a glass in my hand but he’s also partially the reason that I’m thankful to be alive.” Pidge paused, then smiled. They looked at Lance as they continued. “You’ve made my life eventful. Who you are, Lance, is an adventure waiting to happen. Be it travelling or just in your own home, you really manage to keep me on my toes. It’s been a ride, being your friend and recent manager, for the past years. It brings me great joy to know that I, Pidge Gunderson, have attributed to your adventure by helping you and your husband, Keith, meet. I found that Keith was willing to take you on, to stick with you, through thick and thin. Everything about the two of you gives me hope that the good in this world is always waiting, no matter how near or far. It is waiting and if wanted, it’s ours.” They smiled softly, looking at Lance and Keith, who never failed to keep smiling. “Congratulations to the two of you.” They raised their glass. “To the happy couple.”

Everyone cheered as they raised their glasses in return.

Pidge took their seat next to Keith and kept drinking their drink as they were stared at by Lance. “Thanks, Pidge, that meant a lot. I’m never going to forget that.”

“Great.” Pidge finished downing their drink and Keith smiled.

“Seriously, I’m going to get that tattooed.”

“Make sure it’s on your forehead.” Pidge joked and started to eat.

The food was delicious and everyone ate well.

After they were done, that’s when the dancing started.

It was their first dance as a married couple.

The both of them smiled as the song came on, reminiscent of that night.

“So, how do you feel?” Lance asked as he slow danced with Keith.

“I feel great.” Keith smiled as he rested his face close to the crook of Lance’s neck. “After all,” he waited until the song lyric arrived, “I’m yours.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

When the reception was finally over, Lance and Keith were more than ready to leave it all behind for a little bit and simply indulge in the gift that was time alone together, no matter when or where.

Just as long as they were together.

The flight back to Hawaii didn’t seem like it lasted long enough.

In fact, nothing ever seemed like it lasted long enough.

The first few days, they pretty much never left their bed. It was just comforting to be so close together, no world to bother them as they held each other and smiled. They got the break they’d deserved; it was a second chance and they took advantage of it.

It was strange to be back in the hotel suite that they’d inhabited several years ago.

“How nostalgic.” Keith smiled as he watched Lance push the furniture aside one more time.

“I know, right?” Lance outstretched his hand and Keith took it.

The music played on into the night.

As the days went on, they found themselves all over. Some days, they were at the beach, Lance occasionally getting sand in his mouth and Keith laughing like always. Other days, they took walks and admired the scenery, often making sweet “you’re the view” type comments about the other. And they found themselves enjoying a lot of what they had never known about because they were too busy thinking about the other when they’d first went to that place together.

“It’s funny to think that we were here two years ago.”

The sound of the ocean could be heard in the distance as Keith leaned his back against Lance’s chest. Stars lay scattered above the two of them as they sat on a blanket. 

“But if we weren’t here two years ago, we wouldn’t be here now.” Lance intertwined his fingers with Keith’s. “I wonder what would’ve happened had Pidge not forced us to keep the facade going.”

“I’m not entirely sure but I don’t think I would be married to the love of my life.” Keith sat up and turned around. “I’m pretty sure I owe Pidge my life.” He smiled as he pressed a hand to Lance’s cheek. “And by my life, I mean you.”

“Since when did you get so smooth?” Lance smiled back at him.

“Since I fell in love with you.”

“Babe, stop.”

Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s cheek, smiling after he moved back. “Sorry, not possible.”

“You’re too much.” Lance laughed a little. “Wow, look at you. Vying for my position.”

“What can I say? If it means loving you, then, well, I’m here for that.”

“I love you so much.”

Keith only smiled as he kissed Lance. “Love you, too.”

No matter where they went, they were always home.

Especially when they got back from their honeymoon, back to their house.

“We’re home!” Lance dropped his keys onto the table near the front door and walked into the living room. He smiled as he saw Pidge sitting on the couch, a drink in their hand, casually looking at their phone. Keith came in behind Lance and rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, you’re back?” Pidge asked levelly, almost emotionless.

Then Hunk walked in. “Hey guys! Welcome back! Also, Pidge missed you a lot. They kept asking me when I thought you two were finally going to be back-”

“Hunk.”

“-and they kept getting up to look out the windows and-”

“That’s a lie.” Keith couldn’t help but smiled as Lance approached Pidge. “What-why are you looking at me like that?”

“You love me.”

“Fight me.”

It was good to be home all the time, no matter where.

Everything about being together felt natural.

It was in the way that hey looked at one another, be it at the beach or in bed or when around family and friends. It was in the way that they loved to hold each other, as if their bodies were meant to fit together perfectly, fingers sitting snugly when intertwined. It was in the way they that they loved remembering each and every day that they were married. It was in the way that things had changed and yet they hadn’t. It was in the way that they were willing to admit that they loved each other so much after being unable to express that in the very start.

Everything about learning how to hold on felt right.

Keith thought about that one night after they had all eaten chinese food. 

He had his fingers intertwined with his husband’s fingers and he chuckled to himself.

“What is it?” Lance asked.

“Remember when we first met and I refused to show you my fortune?”

“And then you ate it? Yeah.”

“Well, it said ‘don’t let what’s sitting in front of you get away’.” He smiled as he moved closer. “It threw me for a loop because you were right in front of me.” Keith rested his head on Lance’s shoulder. “Glad I took that advice.”

“Took you long enough.”

“You’re one to talk.” Lance smiled as he turned his head and kissed his husband once again.

They always found solace in one another.

“Awww, you made me breakfast.” Lance smiled as he wandered into the kitchen.

“I kind of have to or else you’d be dead.” Keith pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “Can’t have that.”

Lance gave him a look and Keith simply laughed.

It was all so simple.

“Remember when your sister came over?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember going in the pool at night?”

“Keith, babe, where are you going with this?” Lance was about turn off the light.

“Let’s go night swimming.” Keith smiled and they were off.

The pool water glowed a pale blue from the lights, moving effortlessly around them as they smiled. 

Like always, they stayed together.

“Shit, Lance, wake up, Shiro called!”

“What-what?”

“Allura went into labor.”

They were at the hospital for a day and a half before they finally got to meet Shiro and Allura’s children. 

Wandering into Allura’s room was an act so cautious it put asking someone out to shame. The quietness of the room was soon broken by familiar voices. “Hey, there you two are.” Shiro smiled at the two of them, sitting bedside.

Allura, on the other hand, was propped up on the bed, one baby in each arm. “Hey guys.”

“You still look great, as usual.” Lance wandered closer, a smile on his face as Keith followed. He looked at the two babies, clean and eyes still getting used to being open. Both of them were swaddled in blue. “Ah, so two little boys, huh?”

Shiro and Allura looked at each other, smiling. “Yeah. Want to meet your nephews, Lance?”

The look on Lance’s face was priceless and Keith loved getting a picture of it.

He showed the two little boys when they were old enough.

“And this is uncle Lance when he first saw you two.” Keith gave them the shiny picture and the little two year olds looked at it, then looked at each other, then at Lance, who stood in doorway with a mug of coffee. They gave the picture back and then ran over to Lance, each of them grabbing onto a leg.

“Hey, I have a hot beverage in my hands! Micah! Riley!”

Keith only laughed.

“Hey, you, help me!”

“I didn’t marry you to be referred to as ‘hey, you’.”

“Love of my life, beautiful husband, get over here.”

“Better.”

“You’re welcome. Now, get your nephews.”

Keith smiled as he made his way over.

It was something, having been married for two, almost three years.

“I remember the day that I married you.”

They were in bed, just lying there, about to go to sleep.

“Really? That’s funny, so do I.” Keith moved to get underneath the covers next to Lance. “Pretty good day, I’d say.”

“Best 24 hours of my life.”

“I’d have to say you’re right.” 

“I’m always right.”

“Sure thing, Lance.” They kissed goodnight, smiling all the while.

The day after the twins’ third birthday party, Lance came up from behind and wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist while he was cooking breakfast. “Keith?”

“Yes, love?”

“I think it’s time we had a kid.”

Keith placed a hand over one of Lance’s hands in return.

He smiled.

After some time, they found themselves in the constant presence of a baby girl named Chloe.

“I love her so much.” Lance stared fondly down at her as she finally slept after keeping him up until four. Keith rested his head on Lance’s shoulder after having been woken up around two. “She’s perfect.”

“Just like her father, too much.”

“Just like her father, loves me very much.”

Raising a baby meant losing sleep.

“Keith, wake up, come with me.”

“Lance...get her and then bring her to the kitchen. I need coffee.” Lance left but not before Keith was out of bed. He went to the baby’s crib and Keith headed slowly down the darkened halls, thinking about how he had once been lost in them, only to find Lance, who had guided him.

He managed a small smile as he found his way into the kitchen, the light on at three in the morning.

“Ah, so you two are awake, too?”

“Baby woke me up.” Pidge looked into their mug.

“Pidge woke me up to ‘suffer’ with them.” Hunk sat at the table and Keith smiled.

“Sounds like Pidge.”

“You know it.”

Keith started to make coffee when Lance walked in, bouncing Chloe gently in his arms. He was talking to her, softly, and it made Keith’s heart flutter in the early morning. 

“Good morning,” he said as he made his way over to the table.

“Morning, yes, it is that.”

Hunk gave Pidge a look.

Several minutes later, Keith joined them with a cup of coffee in each hand.

“Thanks, babe.”

“Anything.” Lance gently handed over Chloe to Keith for a bit.

They all spent the morning reminiscing, the only one sleeping soundly being Chloe.

Yeah, that became the normal in their home.

Lance missed it when he had to travel for a movie, so often that bringing a baby would’ve been too much.

“I miss you.”

“We miss you, don’t we sweetheart?” Chloe reached for Keith’s hair and he smiled as he held the phone to his ear.

They learned to see 2:37 a.m. often.

Especially on the night of Chloe’s first birthday.

She slept soundly in Lance’s arms after having been sung to.

“What a lucky little girl.” Keith looked at them, smiling as Lance walked over.

“Yeah.” He stood there for a bit before placing her in her crib, careful not to wake her. Once he did that, he came back to Keith, outstretching his hand. “So, what do you say?”

“It’s almost 2:30 in the morning.” Despite Keith’s remark, he had already taken Lance’s hand.

“Best time for anything, don’t you think?”

Keith let his mind travel back to the beginning as he slow danced with his husband.

He thought about everything as Lance started singing gently in his ear.

It kind of tickled and he smiled as Lance sang them their song.

“Our time is short, this is our fate,” Lance sang, smiling, “I’m yours.”

“Thank you, Lance, for everything. If you’d never called-”

“And if you’d never picked up, we wouldn’t be here. Your role in all of this means just as much.”

“You’re right, again. What does that make, six times now? Seven?”

“It’s actually upwards of two hundred and you know it.”

“Do I, now?” Keith smiled endearingly.

“Yeah, you do just like I do.” Lance smiled back.

“I do.” 

“Perfect.”

“Yeah, it’s perfect.”

“And it’s ours.” Lance leaned in, smiling.

“It’s ours.” Keith smiled as he met Lance halfway and that’s how it was always, always going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's how it ends.
> 
> seriously, everyone who went with me on this ride is a blessing and you deserve the best 2017.
> 
> i'm glad to have been able to spend the second half of 2016 with you all through my words.
> 
> i plan on writing more when i can and if you ever have a request, let me know <3
> 
> here's to a new year.
> 
> take care of yourselves.

**Author's Note:**

> my name's angelica and you can always find me @ bluethisisforyou on tumblr!


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